The Dragon Of The Light And The Dark
by Nickhf123
Summary: Spike disappears from Equestria and is now surrounded by jedi's who will teach him the way of the force.
1. Chapter 1

**A strange new world**

The room was as long as it was wide stretching on for almost five hundred meters before abruptly transitioning into a wall completing the perfect cube that the designers of the room had strove to create at its inception.

Spread throughout the room were hundreds if not thousands of small crib like structures each one holding a single infant child.

Each one of these children were potential candidates and would be subjected to small tests by one of the three creatures walking between each one of the cribs. Occasionally one of the creatures would stop by a crib turning and facing the child that lay within. Even more rarely they would pick up the child holding two fingers against the side of the infants head for a moment before either replacing it in the crib and moving on or removing the baby to a cordoned off part of the room before continuing on their search once more.

Slowly, one of the creatures picked up a small wookie nestled within one of the cribs and placed his fingers against the child's temples as he had done with the other potential candidates that day. After a few brief seconds of consideration, he transferred his hands to the waist of the Wookie, cradling the baby in his arms before walking over to the side of the room, where two more similar creatures awaited, watching over the children that had already been picked out.

"A Wookie? Are you sure Darius?" One of the females asked.

"The force is impartial to species Amber." The male identified as Darius said, placing the tiny wookie down in a small play pen with three other chosen babies. "Master Frout can attest to that."

"Yes many members of my species are rarely force sensitive." The red skinned male mused.

"It's not that Devaronians aren't force sensitive." Amber said "Males never seem to be able to stay still for more than a few months at a time and females are almost as stubborn."

"As always your insight is most welcome Amber." The Devaronian bowed, before casting his gaze upon the children behind them. "Was that the last potential?"

"It was." Agreed Darius sighing as he looked over the room. "By the force. The number we select seems to shrink every time I oversee the proceedings."

"Maybe you're missing some in your advanced age." Amber smiled.

"Laugh it up. You'll get to my age one day." Darius shot back. "Are we ready to go?"

"I believe so. Darius, Frout, are you ready?"

"If this is it." Frout frowned, picking up another small infant and smiling down at it.

"It's really creepy when they smile like these." Darius smirked, picking the Wookie back up.

"Wait." Amber commanded, holding up a hand. "I sense something is coming our way."

The two other Jedi's looked at each other before looking back at Amber.

"I can't sense anything." Frout said slowly.

"No I can sense it to." Darius said, putting his hand to his head as if he was suffering from a headache.

No sooner had he said those words then the thing they had sensed arrived. In the centre of the room, a glowing sphere of light appeared, spreading out and engulfing all the cribs around it in its bright light.

In an instant the Jedi had placed the children back down in the play pen and had set off towards the light, Amber summoning her Lightsaber hilt from its position on her belt, holding the weapon tightly but not activating it yet.

Slowly the light began to fade and the three masters approached the fading light until it disappeared their eyes alighting on a small crater that had been formed in the floor and more importantly the tiny creature that lay within the crater.

"Darius, what do you make of this?" Amber asked, slowly sinking to one knee and placing her hand palm down over the small green and purple creature.

"I've never seen anything like it." Darius said.

"So is this a new species?" Frout asked.

"Brilliant. A new species, which may or may not be sentient, and the first thing it sees is a jedi." Darius laughed.

"Whatever it is it's alive. In seems to be in some sort of coma though." Amber said removing her hand.

"You can sense that though yes?" Darius asked.

"You seem to be much more in tune with the living force today." Frout observed. "What do you sense?"

"This creature is a child most likely between five to six galactic years in age. That means he is within the age for training." He explained.

"Ok and?" Amber asked.

"And surely you can sense the potential that he holds?" Frout continued.

Thinking quickly Darius placed his hand directly on the creatures head and closed his eyes as the small creatures eyes cracked open.

Spike slowly cracked his eyes open, groaning in pain as he tried to raise his right arm slightly and dislodged what felt like small pieces of debris from it.

Eventually his vision began to actually focus and he looked around staring at the odd shapes of several bipeds.

"Twilight?" He groaned. "Why are there Minotaur's here?"

One of the creatures spoke something in an unintelligible slur which snapped Spike out of his stupor.

His eyes finally came into full focus, locking onto the creature that spoke. Instantly he was on edge, scrambling about and managing to get out of the small crater he found himself in.

Edging backwards, he felt himself touch a set of legs and craned his head back until he was looking directly upwards and looking straight at the creature this one sporting bright red skin and a set of horns.

"Buh…ah…wha." Spike stammered, freezing up as the creature looked down at him.

The red creature opened its mouth and spewed out more of the unintelligible sounds that the other creature had made.

Spike slowly pushed himself away from the three creatures backing up until he hit a wall. The three creatures advanced towards him.

Spike tried to speak again but found himself unable to make a sound.

The three Jedi's looked at the odd creature as it backed up against the wall clearly terrified of its new surroundings.

"I believe it would be best if we talked to these creature."Amber said while reattaching her Lightsaber to her belt.

"Well it mumbled something when it first woke but I couldn't hear if it was any known language." Darius mused.

"Perhaps if we could get it to speak again and maybe one of us have heard the language before. We do know the majority of the galactic languages." Amber suggested.

"A great idea." Frout agreed before turning to spike.

"Hello, do you understand me?" He said slowly in normal galactic basic.

The small creature didn't move a muscle and his eyes staying glued onto the three Jedi's.

"Do you understand us?" Amber asked, slipping easily into the language of Selkath.

The result was once again the same and the Jedi's broke into a variety of different languages.

"How is this?" No response.

"This?" Again no response.

"Bothese?" Still nothing.

"This isn't working." Frout exasperated.

Spike suddenly focused on the red skinned alien before opening his mouth to speak.

Spike watched as the creatures in front of him all made unintelligible sounds going from odd mumbles to growls and barking noises.

Finally the red creature spoke.

"This is ridiculous." It said, speaking in near perfect ancient draconian. The language was slightly different than the language that Spike knew, but it was still similar enough for Spike to understand it.

"D-draconian?" He stammered and instantly the creatures fell silent as the red skinned one came forward.

"You speak Devaronese?" He asked.

"Deva-what?" Spike asked not taking his eyes off the alien.

"Devaronese." The creature repeated. "The language of Devaronians. Now I am assuming by your grasp of language you are sentient?"

Spike didn't understand what sentient meant but he simply nodded in confusion.

"Very well. What is your name and the name of your species?"

"Spike." Said nervously. "Dragon."

"Dragon?" The alien asked. "Does your species have any genetic relationships with the Arkanian dragon?"

"I don't know."

"You seem afraid." The creature asked. "If it makes you feel better I am a Devaronian. Jedi master Frout at your service."

"Frout?" Spike asked.

"Yes. With me is Jedi master Amber, Jedi master Darius, all of whom are humans of different planets. Specifically, Corellia, Coruscant and Alderaan."

"I am assuming you can speak to that creature?" Amber asked.

"I can. His name is Spike." Frout replied turning to Amber.

"Spike?" Darius asked. "And I am guessing he speaks Devaronese?"

"He calls it ancient Draconian but yes and he also might be able to speak other languages. His species is also called Dragon but it seems he knows nothing about the Arkanian dragon."

"That is interesting." Amber said before turning to Spike.

"Where do you come from?" She asked in her the normal galactic language to see if he could also speak that.

"Equestria." Spike said slowly.

"And the galactic coordinates?" Amber asked.

"What is that?"

"One question at what technological level is your species?" Frout asked.

"Well we have trains and they're pretty new." Spike said.

"And what do these trains run on? Magnets, electricity?" Frout asked.

"Coal." Spike said simply.

"Then I am assuming your species is at a relatively low technological state." Amber said softly before turning back to the others.

"This makes this an official first contact scenario." Amber said. "One of the first the republic has had to do for a while."

"I can sense it though." Darius said. "The potential of this child is significant."

"But his species has never been discovered or documented by the republic. Surely the senate would be interested in hearing about this development." Darius asked.

"The Jedi do not answer to the senate." Frout pointed out. "They make requests but they do not need to be heeded on everything. In this case I believe that our need for initiates is greater than their need to study a new species in depth."

"Then we are in agreement that this Spike will be taken back to the temple with us?" Darius asked.

"I guess." Amber said after a moment of thinking.

"Very well." Frout said before bending back down to Spike. "Spike I would like you to come with us. The order that I am part of is in need of potential initiates but only a few individuals in the galaxy have the potential to join. It seems you may have that potential."

"But…what about Twilight?" Spike asked while tears suddenly springing to his eyes.

"Who is Twilight?" Frout asked.

"My friend." Spike said sobbing. "She's the only family I've got."

"Family." Frout smiled. "As part of the life of the Jedi you must surrender emotional ties. You will be forbidden to marry but in doing so you will serve the Jedi and the republic as both emissaries and negotiators."

"But I've got to get home." Spike sniffed.

"I am sorry but I don't know a planet ruled by dragons." Frout said with a slight smile.

"It's not ruled by dragons." Spike sniffed again. "It is ruled by ponies."

"Ponies? As in an old Coruscant horse type ponies?" Darius asked.

"I…" Spike began, before Frout helped him out.

"I doubt that if even knows about hyperspace travel and the republic and that he will know about ancient creatures on a core world." Frout replied.

"Very well." Darius said standing up. "We should make our plans to leave. The Selareco is standing by to take us back to the temple."

With that Darius reached down and picked Spike up. Initially Spike struggled but after finding that he couldn't escape from the grip of the human and the fact that if anything it was comforting he than stopped struggling.

As it had before his mind thought back to Twilight and tears once again formed in his eyes. The reality of his situation hit him hard.

His friends didn't know where he was.

He didn't know where he was.

He had no idea how to get home.

He was alone.

With this thought dominating his mind he suddenly realised how tired he was and slowly went into a sleep.

 **Outer rim**

Onboard a separatist ship the sith lord Count Dooku was mediating in his room when the hologram form of his master Darth Sidious appeared before him. Dooku got up and got on one knee bowing before his master. "Master what do I owe this unexpected visit?" asked Dooku.

"Count Dooku there is a disturbance in the force. I have felt a potential threat. He could be a problem to our plans if he gets in our way." said Sidious.

"He is that poweful enough to distrubt our plans?" asked Dooku wondering how one boy can ruin their plans.

"I can sense that he could be a problem. I want you to deal with him soon Dooku." said Sidious.

"As you wish my master." said Dooku as he bowed one more time to his master before Sidious disappeared. Dooku got back up and looked out into the emptiness of space when the doors slide opened and in came his assassin and apprentice Assajj Ventress.

"You heard what Sidious said?" asked Dooku not turning away from his view of space.

"Yes my master and should I deal with this boy myself?" asked Ventress as she got on one knee bowing before her master.

"Not yet I want to see how powerful this boy could become. If he gets strong then perhaps we can turn him to our side." said Dooku.

"And with him by our side we will be poweful enough to bring down the dark lord and control the galaxy" said Ventress realizing where her master was going with his plan.

"Yes he can be of some use to us but I wish to see how powerful he is first. First chance you get fight him and come back to me alive to tell me. If he is not worth it then kill him." said Dooku giving his apprentice her orders.

"As you wish my master." said Ventress as she bowed to her master before leaving.

 **Will I hope you guys enjoyed this new story and give me any tips or your personal opinions on this story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A New Life**

Spike awoke in a small bed. He looked around the room that he was now in. It was pretty long and he found six other beds. None of the other beds had anyone in it. Spike sat up while rubbing his head and looking out of the window. Spike couldn't imagine what he was staring at. He was in space.

It was something he never seen before. The stars were like a dot. He could see stars above him but he could also see stars below himself.

"Hello master." Came a voice from behind Spike, and he looked around to locate the source of the voice.

He looked at an odd small metal sphere hovering around his eye level. The odd droid had a grill on the front of it, and it was from here that the sound of its voice emanated from.

"I am able to speak four languages for you to understand. Devaronese, Huttese, Shyriiwook and galactic standard basic." The droid intoned, somehow conveying feeling in a voice that was near monotonous.

"Huttese? Shyriiwook?" Spike asked in confusion.

"Huttese: The native language of the Hutts although it is spoken by many races around and in Hutt space including Twileks, Humans and many others. Because of the commercial and criminal influence the Hutts hold throughout the galaxy Huttese is the second most common language in the galaxy after basic." The droid began. "Shyriiwook: also known as Wookieespeak it is the main language of the Wookies. In Basic Shyriiwook translates to tongue of the people. It is not the only Wookie language but being the main trade language, it is the language understood by most non-Wookies."

Spike stared at the robot with amazement.

"Are you magic?" He asked.

"Negative. Magic is a superstitious force conjured up by primitive species or alternately a colloquial term to describe certain aspects of the force that the Jedi wield." The droid said simply.

Spike nodded but a thought came to his mind. Where he was. tears began to roll down his face and he sat back down on the bed, curling up in a ball and sobbing silently.

"Alert Jedi master Amber." The droid spike.

A moment later, a doorway at the end of the room slid upwards revealing one of the human creatures from before.

"4Q-Z3. Report." She said as she walked towards the droid before spotting Spike and sitting down on the end of his bed.

"Potential candidate Spike is experiencing…" The droid was about to say before Amber cut it off.

"I can see." Amber told the droid. "I apologize for anything that may have been done to upset you and I realise it must be hard for a species as young as your appears to be to be thrown into this." She said to Spike.

"Where am I?" Spike asked suddenly.

"You are currently aboard the republic ship Selesio. We are currently heading toward the Jedi temple on Coruscant."

"Can you help me get home?" Spike asked hopefully.

"I am sorry Spike..." Amber said before moving closer to Spike and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "The world you described, one ruled by Dragons and Ponies, I have no idea where it is located at. The temple archives may have more information on it."

"Then I can go home after that?" Spike asked while smiling.

"I am afraid I can't answer that." Amber said slowly. "The Jedi order, the order I belong to is in need of potential initiates. In an ever growing galaxy we need every force sensitive being to help us keep the peace. The council will be the ones to decide what happens next. The other masters are currently in contact with the council. I must get back to them shortly."

The smile on Spikes face faded and he flopped back down onto the bed.

"I realise this must be hard for you Spike." Amber said. "If you would come with me I can introduce you to the other potential candidates. Maybe that can help you."

Spike opened his mouth to speak but Amber cut him off.

"The droid, 4Q-Z3 has been informed that it is to follow you for the duration of this flight."

Spike attempted to say something but Amber had already stood up and was walking towards the door.

Sighing, Spike jumped off the bed and rubbed his eyes, clearing away some of the tears but leaving his eyes red and puffy. He followed Amber out of the room.

Trudging down yet another metal corridor, Spike stuck close to Ambers legs worried that if he lost sight of her for a second he would get lost in this weird and terrifying place. Luckily he didn't get lost on his journey and eventually he was led into another room. This one almost as large as the room he had awoken in but without the beds and had a single massive window showing a large panoramic view of, whatever lay beyond.

"I will be taking my leave." Amber said before turning and leaving the room.

Spike turned to speak to Amber quickly but the door had already begun to slide down and emitted an ominous hiss as it slid back down from the roof and sealed Spike in the room.

There were four other creatures in the room, three of them looked to be of the same species as Amber but smaller. The other one was different.

The first creature looked kind of like the humans but at the same time might as well have looked like a completely different species. For a start its skin instead of being a pale pinkish color was a deep blue color punctuated by swirls of white that spread all over her body,including around her eyes. What really drew Spikes eyes however were the two tentacle type things that were sprouting out of the back of her head, and reaching down to her shoulder.

The second creature looked exactly like a human. He had brown hair and was about the same size as Spike. It amused Spike slightly as usually he was one of the smaller ones in any given circumstance.

"H…hello?" He said. The others looked directly at Spike, and the human approached Spike, another droid thing floating behind it, although this one was red rather than a simple metallic colour.

"I am Brandon... a human. What is you're name and species?"

"Spike." He said softly, "Dragon."

"Dragon?" The blue skinned alien asked, or more specifically, the droid asked, in astonishment, before shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I am Asha."

"And, what… are you?" Spike asked slowly.

"A Twilek and I am from Ryloth." Asha smiled, bowing her head and extending her arms out to her side in a graceful cross between a bow and a curtsey.

"Umm, it's nice to meet you." Spike smiled back, extending a claw.

"You to." She said, respectfully shaking Spikes hand.

As this happened, the other person had walked over, and were standing behind Brandon and Asha. He was a male and had short black hair.

"I am Zuno." The boy said, extending his hand towards Spike.

As Spike reached out for it, he withdrew it quickly, laughing at Spike.

"Too slow Spike." He laughed before grabbing Spike and pulling him under his arm and rubbing his hand against his head in an attempt to give Spike a noogie. Spikes scales on his head made it hard for that. Zuno quickly stopped, shaking his hand in pain. "Will I shouldn't rub you're head again." He smiled.

"Don't worry about my brother." The girl smiled, shaking Spikes hand. "My name is Briana."

"Brother?" Spike asked, looking between the two.

"I know, we don't look much like." Zuno said while throwing his arm around Briana. "Especially since we're twins."

"Wait, twins?" Spike asked in amazement.

"Yeah. None identical obviously." Briana said.

"So how did you end up here Spike?" Asha asked.

"I don't exactly know." Spike said.

"You don't know?" Asha asked in confusion.

"Not really..." Spike replied back to her.

The conversation went silent for a minute before Spike said something.

"How old are you?" He asked.

"Seven." Zuno and Briana said instantly.

"I'm older." Briana said while sticking her tongue out.

"By like... a second." Zuno grunted.

"Eight." Brandon told Spike.

"Nine." Asha replied. "What about you Spike?"

"Twelve." Spike admitted.

"But I thought the Jedi only took small children." Zuno said slowly

"They do?" Spike asked.

"We do." Came a voice from behind the five, and they all turned around to see who spoke.

The three Jedi's, led by Darius entered the room, spreading out as the door shut.

"Normally, Jedi initiates are chosen from children of ages of five and below." Darius said.

"Then, why are we all older than five?" Asho asked.

"The Jedi council has allowed an experiment in increasing the numbers of our order would be conducted. We were ordered to pick out potential candidates over the age of five. Usually initiates over this age do not take to the training as well as our younger initiates but if you five are successful we will be able to open training up to older candidates and increase the number of knights ready to protect the Republic." Darius informed them

"Now I am sure you are all wondering what you are doing here." Amber said while stepping forward. "The five of you have more potential than your fellows for being able to wield one of the greatest powers in the galaxy. The force."

"We, the Jedi, wield the force in our goal for peace." Frout said. "The Jedi are guardians of harmony and peace across known space. With the force at our command we can stop conflicts before they even arise."

"Training to become a Jedi is not an easy challenge and even if you succeed it is a hard life." Amber said. "Remember a Jedi may carry a Light saber but they can only fight when they must use it. If you draw your Light saber and attack someone without reason, you have already forfeited much of the advantages gained by the mastery of the force. A Jedi must trust the force and seek other ways to resolve problems before resorting to violence. Patience, logic, tolerance, negotiation are all good techniques. A Jedi must embody all of these things but there is a time a Jedi must fight."

"If violence is what you seek from the force know this. Its power is unmatched and mastery over it shall make you powerful but these temptations will sway you to the dark side." Darius said. "The dark side shall lead you down a path of anger and hate. Fearand aggression. To conquer it you must conquer your own emotions. You must hold no ties. Not to your past family nor to a wife. Your life shall be given in its entirety to the Jedi order."

"What if I don't want to join the Jedi?" Spike asked.

"I am sorry but that is no longer a choice left open to you." Frout said while bending down. "Our masters of the order have shared visions. The visions tell of an oncoming darkness, unseen since the Great Hyperspace war. The Jedi refuse to be drawn into another conflict while unprepared. We are preparing ourselves and every child who has the potential shall be taken for training."

Spike opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Amber.

"This is not something in which you can sway our minds. The high council has decided upon this course of action and has the permission of the republic senate to do so."

Tears began to form in Spikes eyes, and he ran out of the room, tears streaming down his face once more. Spike had always been good at directions and he soon found himself back in the bunk room. Throwing himself onto his bed again.

Spike sobbed once again. He would never be able to go home. He would never see Twilight or his friends ever again. His old life is gone. Suddenly Spike felt a hand touch his back. It was Brandon.

"I know the feeling..." He said. "I was also taken from my home to. I and you... we are partners"

Spike wiped his eyes and looked up at the human.

"You and me?" He smiled. "You'd be my friend?"

"You are strong Spike... we will fight together. We will become strong together."

Brandon put a hand out towards Spike and Spike grabbed it pulling himself off of the bed and standing by the Human.

"We should stick together." Brandon said.

"The Jedi said we couldn't have emotions." Spike said.

"Emotions and friends are to different things... we are just friends."

Spike considered for a minute... he may of just found a friend.

 **I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. I am going to be doing a Q &A to the people that reviewed chapter 1**

 **Q:** equestrian is not the name of the planet its just one kingdom just like the griffon kingdom and the minotaour kingdom and the dragon kingdom and the changeling hive lands and the demand dog clan's

 **A:** Amber only asked where Spike was from. I also don't know the name of the planet Spike is from so just to make it easier so I just said Equestria.

 **Q:** Why would you include "that the designers of the room had strove to create at its inception" in the first sentence? Were you trying to describe the size of the room? Why would you mention that designers had designed it?

 **A** : Totally messed up on that one. I should've never really included that the designers had designed it when it was already clear that they have made it.

 **Q** :Interesting, most interesting. If Spike is powerful enough, Sidious may abandon Anakin for Spike. Well I shall wait to see, may the Force be with you.

 **A:** Thank you for you're review. I also haven't thought of the entire story so we will just have to find out if Sidious will somehow make Spike his apprentice.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Council**

Spike lay on the bunk he had been assigned in the dormitory, staring at a small datapad thing he had been given. He had been learning different languages for the past few weeks on the ship.

His talks with the others on board the ship, well the other children at least, they weren't allowed into the rest of the ship as it was a military vessel. While he had not learned much about the galaxy as a whole the views being that of children and while useful Spike was slightly unsure of their validity. What he had learned about however was their pasts.

Spike found out Asha had been a slave for nearly three years managed to escape from the Hutts, stowing away on a freighter bound for Corellia. Slavery was fairly common with the Hutts and she had been used as a dancer girl. Luckily for her she wasn't old enough to be used for anything else. She didn't specify what anything else was but Spike had a sneaky feeling that she had dodged a stampede of buffalo. Spike still couldn't grasp the fact that an entire civilisation was built on slavery. Just imagining millions enduring the treatment that Rarity had with the Diamond Dogs, or the Crystal ponies had at the hooves of Sombra disgusted him.

Zuno and Briana were odd. Spike had met twins before, Pumpkin and Pound cake for one, Aloe and Lotus at the spa for another, and they had all seemed closer than normal siblings but those two, it was like they knew exactly what the other one was thinking while acting on it before they had even had time to speak. Spike had watched them in amazement for almost an hour while they had a play fight. Each time one threw a punch at the other, it was instantly intercepted and parried before a counter was thrown to the same result. The only reason it had stopped had been because Amber had walked in to take them to the room where they ate their meals once again separated from the rest of the crew.

And then there was Brandon.

He had been the only thing that had made Spike life bearable for the first few days on the ship, his constant friendship and compassion had been a pillar for Spike to hold onto. In return Spike had given the human someone to talk to. He was different. He was a savage, possessing more brute strength than any of the others. Along with that, he was very blunt and to the point. Spike had found that despite their few differences they were similar in many more ways. Spike was the only one who could give him a run for his money in terms of pure strength anyway.

He had never really been given the opportunity, not needing to show his strength off back in Equestria but when he wanted to he could move far more than his body size would suggest. He was a dragon after all.

He sniffed once, tearing his mind away from Twilight for what felt like the millionth time that day alone, but it was hopeless and his mind drifted straight back to her. It would be like Zuno trying to forget about Briana. Impossible but that seemed to be exactly what the Jedi were trying to do and whenever he had brought the subject up with one of the masters they had told him of the Jedi's stance on relationships and the dangers they posed.

"Attention all hands." A voice crackled in basic over the intercom system. "Prepare to exit Hyperspace, touchdown at Coruscant ship yards, one hour, twenty two minutes and counting."

As soon as the Intercom had crackled off, the door to the bunk room slid upwards with a slight hiss, and Master Darius strode into the room.

"Well you heard the captain." He said. "Get anything you need and prepare to disembark."

The five potential padawans quickly moved about the room, gathering the few if any belongings that they had before meeting in front of Darius.

"Does everyone have everything?" He asked, looking around. When no one said anything he turned and walked out of the room, leading the others through the ship.

They reached the room that Spike had first been taken to when he boarded the ship. This time however the window was not simply leading onto empty space.

Spike stared out of the viewport of the starship in awe as they descended towards the planet, passing the other ships in orbit as they approached. Beside him, the other potential candidates and the three Jedi masters also looked out of the viewport.

"Coruscant." Frout said. "The capital of the entire republic. Home of the Jedi order and the galactic senate."

"How big is the city?" Asha asked, looking down in disbelief.

Darius grinned. "It doesn't end. The whole planet is one massive city. If it can be found it is likely you'll see it somewhere on the planet. Even if you have to go down a thousand levels."

"How far down does it go?" Spike asked in astonishment.

"to the very bottom." Darius said.

Spike and the others had assembled in the hanger bay of the ship and were confronted by another craft, this one open topped and clearly just for transport across the planet and not between them.

Without needing a command, they all got onto the transport and as soon as they had taken their seats the craft shot out of the hanger doors pinning Spike to the seat and causing him to be glad that he hadn't eaten much that morning. Even so he felt his insides turning as Darius weaved in and out of other ships in the sky.

"Slow down!" Amber yelled out, but Darius either didn't listen or didn't care and continued to fly.

Spike still couldn't get used to the idea of flying, let alone spaceships and instead placed his head in his lap and his claws over his ears in an attempt to block out the roars of the engines. Beside him, Brandon looked like he was having a similar experience, moaning slightly.

"Don't get worried." Asha smiled, placing her hand on Darius leg, before turning to Spike. "You too. We're going to be Jedi!"

"I don't want to be a jedi." Spike groaned. "I just want to go home."

"Well, maybe you can do that then." Asha grinned. "Be sad to see you go though. I'd love to know more about your home."

Smiling slightly, Spike doubled over again, groaning louder.

"Hey! the seats have just been cleaned. Hurl over the side if you need to." Darius yelled back.

"Darius neck is a better target." Amber laughed.

"I will turn this ship around missy." Darius snorted back before the two burst into laughter, drawing a withering glare from Frout.

"Grow up you two" He growled.

The rest of the journey passed quickly and eventually Spike felt the ship slowed down before touching down and stopping all together.

"We're here." Frout said plainly before standing up and gesturing for the candidates to exit the room. Slowly, the five candidates made their way out of the craft and instantly, Spikes jaw dropped.

"Where are we?" he asked in amazement.

The area they had landed in was absolutely massive, the ceilings soaring to the point where Spike was sure that the whole of the castle in Canterlot could have fit within it with room to spare. The only thing that would stop that from happening were the multitude of pillars, as thick as the Ponyville library and reaching up to the ceiling.

"This is our tower from which we can guard the galaxy." Amber smiled, looking around with a look of comfort on her face. "Our fortress to watch upon the dark."

"This, is the temple of the Jedi order." Darius finished.

Spike continued to stare around in awe as he was led through the temple, not even looking at the other Jedi's that wandered around the temple but feeling their stares burning into him. He hadn't known what to expect when he had been told he was in the temple of the Jedi but he had been expecting something… smaller. The Jedi gave off an air of minimalism, and he had expected their home to convey that feeling as well. Clearly he was wrong.

All eight of them went into a weird glass plated room and the doors slid closed.

"What…" Spike began before he was suddenly thrown to the floor as the entire room shot upwards.

"Where are we going?" Brandon asked confused.

Eventually the room stopped moving and Spike pulled himself off the floor, looking around at the grins of the other candidates.

"And I'm guessing you don't have lifts on Equestria?" Frout asked, turning to Spike.

"There is nothing like that on Equestria." Spike said. "What's it for?"

"Moving between floors quicker than walking up flights of stairs." Frout explained.

Spike followed the others out of the lift, walking through another massive hallway, this one leading towards a large set of stairs and beyond, a room that looked circular from here. Spike could see a single human sitting on a seat, and wondered if this was the leader of the Jedi temple. If he was, he must be powerful.

They got to the opening, not yet going in and Spike couldn't make anything else other than the human male.

"Inside, is the high council of the Jedi order. You must enter alone, and be judged. Good luck. The next time we meet, you will know if you are to be a Jedi, or be returned to your home."

At this, Spikes heart leapt. He could go home, he just had to see this Jedi council person.

Not thinking, Spike sprinted past the others, running into the room before stopping, looking eagerly at the man in front of him. Only then was he aware of the others in the room looking at him with interest. Slowly the others walked in, crowding around Spike and looking around nervously.

"So you five are the potential candidates?" One of the council members, an odd human like creature.

"What are your names?"

"Asha Tawl." Asho bowed deeply, spreading her arms out to the side.

"Zuno…" He began

"and Briana." His sister finished, the pair acting theatrically which Spike had learned they did when they were nervous.

"Brandon." He said.

"Spike." He finished nervously.

"Do we frighten you?" Another creature asked, this one like the human but with small horns on his bald head.

"No." Brandon said, clearly nervous.

"You do not need to lie to us Brandon." A male human said kindly. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Master Luminous."

"Mace Windu." another jedi spoke.

This continued as each member of the council, almost ten in all introduced themselves, before Mace Windu addressed the candidates again.

"Do you know why you are here?" He asked.

"To become Jedi." Asha answered instantly.

"And is that what you want?" Amber asked.

"I want to go home." Spike said softly, drawing all eyes to him.

"Ah yes, Darius mentioned a new species would be joining us here." another jedi smiled "what exactly is you're species?"

"I'm a dragon." Spike said, puffing his chest out ever so slightly.

"And which planet does your species call home?" Windu asked. "is it within the core worlds? The outer-rim? Further afield?"

"Um… Equestria." Spike said softly. "I don't know where it is, I was hoping…"

"… that we would know where it was." a jedi named Keith said.

"Yeah." Spike said weakly.

"If anyone on this council can shed light on this planet, speak now." Windu asked.

No one spoke and Spike's eyes filled with tears. The silence cut into his stomach like a knife, ramming home the fact that he was here and as of now there was no way he could find his home.

"I am sorry Spike." Amber said with a sad undertone in her voice. "I know this must be hard for you."

"Hard!" Spike shouted through his tears, shocking the other candidates at his sudden outburst. "That's my home! My friends! My family! They're all gone! Don't tell me you know what that's like."

"Spike. Everyone on this council knows some of what you are feeling. In becoming Jedi, we cast off our old lives, leaving families behind and yet here we are members of the order of Jedi. Defenders of the weak and innocent across the galaxy. This is what we offer you all." Amber said simply.

"I don't care!" Spike screamed, before turning from the council chamber and sprinting out tears streaming down his face.

Without a second thought, Brandon ran after him, racing from the council chambers and leaving the members of the council shocked.

"I told you." A jedi spoke up, looking at Windu. "They are too old, they will not take to training well."

"I agree." Keith said. "Running out of the council chambers. Has that ever been done before?"

"I do not believe so." Luminous said thoughtfully. "But surely you cannot doubt the potential of the candidates. That human named Brandon, for a member of his species to be able to feel the flow of the force, I do not believe there has ever been another. And the dragon, this Spike. He is interesting. I can sense the flow of power through him but there is something deeper, hidden from me."

"The dark side. It hides itself in the darkness. He should not be trained." Keith insisted.

"I do not believe so." Luminous shook his head. "The dark side can manifest in creatures but I sensed no taint upon him. I believe he should be trained. Such a creature would be taken advantage of by slavers in the universe if left to his own devices being unique as he is."

"We should bring them back." A jedi insisted.

"No." Luminous said simply. "This is something he and his friend must settle. We do not own them and cannot force them to join us. It is a choice they must make of their own free will."

Brandon ran down the massive hallway, stopping halfway down the steps as he saw Spike sitting on one his head in his lap, sobbing gently. Sitting down next to him, Brandon put an arm around Spike.

"Hey..." Spike sniffed, looking at the human.

"Spike." Brandon nodded.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with the council?" Spike asked.

"Perhaps. I would rather stay here remember we will be partners."

"Thanks but you could be throwing your chance at being a Jedi away." Spike pointed out. "I thought that was what you wanted."

"It was. When I was young, I dreamed of being Jedi. To become powerful while protecting everyone I loved. But now if you don't join I won't join." He said.

"You'd give up your dream for me?" Spike asked incredulously.

"I would rather want you to stay here. You are one of my only friends" Brandon replied.

"But…" Spike began, but was cut off by Brandon.

"If you leave. Where would you go? Your only hope of finding home is the Jedi. Stay with me. We could learn together while searching for your home, together... then you can go back to where you came from."

Spike looked at Brandon l for a moment, before relenting. He was right of course. He was alone in this galaxy, perhaps indefinitely. His only hope, his only friend, was here. Making the only logical choice that he could, Spike nodded.

"I'll stay here, as long as you stay as well." Spike said simply.

"We need to go back to the council and we will probably need to apologize for running away. Brandon pointed out.

"I know. I doubt anyone has done that before." Spike smiled.

"Maybe." Brandon grinned back before turning and walking back towards the council chambers.

The council watched in silent as Spike and Brandon re-entered the room in silence before Spike finally went to speak.

"We understand Spike." Windu said, cutting him off before he could speak. "Honour to your family made you leave, and honour to the temple brought you back."

"My friend brought me back." Spike pointed out.

"I didn't say it was your honour." Mace said tersely before turning to the other masters. "Members of the council, shall they be trained in the ways of the force? Guided along the path of the light side as Jedi to someday hold the rank of Padawan?"

"Yes." Luminous said, raising his hand.

"Yes." Keith agreed, raising his hand.

One by one, the other masters in the room raised their hands and expressed their approval. As soon as the last Jedi had spoken, Windu addressed the five again.

"Very well. It is by unanimous vote of the high council of the Jedi order, that you five are to be trained in the ways of the light side of the force, as Jedi. A Jedi lives their life for the Republic."

"Hence forth, you are initiates of the Jedi order. You shall be trained to wield the powers you possess. As five you were, and as five you will train. Henceforth, you shall be known as members of the Darius Clan, until you pass through the crystal caves of Illum and complete the Apprentice Tournament, and earn the right to be known as Padawans." Windu Finished.

"Those who will train you are already known to you." Luminous stood up as he spoke. "Master Darius has been assigned to your clan. He will teach you the ways of the force, and help you pass the trials ahead."

As he said this Spike saw Darius enter the chambers, even though he hadn't seen him when he had run out of the chambers.

"Mater Darius. These initiates are now yours to train. I leave them in your capable hands." Windu said before every member of the council stood up, looking directly at the five new initiates.

"We, the council recognize these five as members of the order of Jedi. Act in the interests of the weak and oppose violence wherever it may be. These are your responsibilities." The council spoke, each one in perfect unity with the others.

Master Darius walked in front of the five as the council finished speaking and sat down again, gesturing for the five to leave the chamber. As they did they were met by Amber, and Frout. Both were waiting by the lift.

"Well?" Amber asked.

"They entered as candidates. They leave as initiates." Darius said.

The others looked at the five initiates, who were still looking dazed at the council's verdict. As Darius spoke however it truly sunk in.

"We did it!" Zuno laughed, clapping his sister and the back before pulling her into a hug.

"We are in the order." Asha smiled, although not raising her voice, a trait that she had picked up while she was enslaved.

"We did it Spike." Brandon laughed.

"Yeah." Spike chuckled. He still wasn't quite sure what he was going to do, but Brandon had made a compelling point. He now at least had somewhere to stay, people to look after him and even if they weren't Twilight they were good people.

He frowned slightly at the thought of Twilight she was like his sister and mother figure. The tears he was feeling. He would probably cry himself to sleep again that night as he had every night so far but he was getting better. That is to say he was getting quieter to the point that it was nearly silent and didn't keep anyone up. At least he wasn't alone in his actions. Asha did similar things and even when she was asleep she tossed and turned and occasionally screamed as she remembered what her life was like before the Republic.

Not all of the group were broken but two of them were. It would take it all their strength to overcome the shattered parts of their past.

Maybe though just maybe the aspects of harmony ran as strong in this galaxy as it did in Equestria.

 **That was fun to write. It was quite hard to put Mace Windu in character but I guess I did a good enough job. I also added quite a few characters to the council and some members won't be in the story. I hope you guys enjoyed chapter 3 so for now bye.**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Training Begins**

Spike followed the other initiates out of the lift, quickly moving after Master Darius as he strode down the corridor before stopping just in front of a large opening and turning to face them.

"Inside." He said simply, gesturing for the others to enter before him, before following and shutting the door behind them with an almost ominous bang.

Spike was instantly cowed by the majesty of the room. It was circular and like all rooms that Spike had seen in the temple, it was massive. However what really drew Spikes attentions were the four massive statues of kneeling men that held the roof up, each one bearing different symbols upon their carved stone flesh.

In the centre of the room, a series of rocks of varying sizes were arranged in order of their weight, ranging from the simplest pebble, to massive boulders that even Twilight would have struggled to lift.

"Sit." Darius said simply before dropping to the floor in a cross-legged fashion just in front of the rocks.

Quickly the others crowded around him, taking seats so that they were in a circle around Darius.

"For the next ten weeks you shall train in the ways of the force, in preparation for your final trials in the caves of Illum." Darius said, looking at each of the initiates in turn. "But first, before any of that, you must learn the ways of the force."

At this, Darius extended a hand and one of the larger rocks rose above him before being slowly lowered again.

"A Jedi is allied with the force, as the force is allied with the Jedi. We Jedi draw on its power, to further enhance our capabilities and to perform feats of skill and strength that would be impossible for any others." Darius continued. "From this day forward, your days will be structured to the highest level. Mornings shall be early, as shall the morning meal. Morning rituals shall consist of studies in the Force, as well as classes in the history and political sciences of the thousand worlds of the Republic. Following the midday meal you shall be led in physical training and I will personally hone your bodies into the physical condition required by the Jedi."

"Early mornings?" Brandon said out loud.

"Yes Brandon." Darius said pointedly. "Early mornings. The path of the Jedi is not for those who wish to lie around all day."

With that Darius got up and began to walk around the initiates. For a while, he did nothing but pace around them before he finally spoke again.

"The Jedi Code is the code of conduct that establishes the rules, tenants, and modes of behaviours that all Jedi must follow. As initiates you must learn the code in its entirety."

With that Darius grabbed a pile of datapads and distributed about the initiates. Glancing down, Spike was confronted again by the illegible language.

"Master Darius." Spike said, turning to face the human.

"What is it initiate?" Darius asked, walking over.

"I… don't know how to read this." Spike admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed now that he voiced his concerns.

"Didn't you learn the language when you were on the ship?" Darius asked.

"I have but I am not..."

"I understand." Darius said, before clapping his hands once to draw the attention of the others. "The code you read is not the original one and was created by Odun-Urr. I do not support this reworking, but the council does, and so it shall be taught.

 ** _There is no emotion, there is peace._ ****_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._ ****_There is no passion, there is serenity._ ****_There is no death, there is the Force._**

"Study this code. Learn what it means and take its lessons to heart. In the days to follow, this shall be your only training."

"Master, can I have something to write with?" Spike asked.

"Here." Darius said, grabbing a datapad and stylus with the force, and moving it over to Spike. "What is it for?"

"I want to write the code in my language." Spike said looking up at Darius for approval. "If that is allowed master."

"It is." Darius said, before walking off, talking to the others as he did, and giving instruction where it was required.

Picking up the stylus, Spike began to tap on the datapad, getting a feel for the new writing style. Quickly finding his stride again, Spike scribbled down the code before looking back at it and comparing it to the code written in a different language.

"There is no Emotion, there is peace?" Spike said softly, looking at the first line of the code. He re-read it, just to make sure that he had understood it properly but each time he reached the same confusion. "Master Darius?"

"What is it Spike?" Darius asked, walking over.

"You said that the code was re-written." Spike asked slowly. "What was it before?"

"Why do you ask such things?" Darius asked, sitting down next to Spike, interested in what the young Jedi had to say.

"I'm interested." Spike said.

"The Jedi are scholars in history, it is your right to know if you so wish. There is two other codes." Darius began.

 ** _There is no emotion, there is peace._ ****_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._ ****_There is no passion, there is serenity._ ****_There is no chaos, there is harmony._** ** _There is no death, there is the Force._**

"there is one last code" Darius said.

 ** _Emotion, yet peace._ ****_Ignorance, yet knowledge._ ****_Passion, yet serenity._ ****_Chaos, yet harmony._ ****_Death, yet the Force._ **

"Now tell me Spike. Why did you really want to know of the old codes?" Darius asked.

"I was interested." Spike insisted, "It's just, the first line. There is no Emotion, there is Peace."

"What of it?" Darius asked in interest.

"Surely emotions is not a bad thing." Spike said thoughtfully.

"But emotions can lead to hatred for any who would also seek the emotions of the same." Darius said.

"Yes, but if emotion is returned, then surely peace can be achieved as well." Spike said.

"And where does this opinion come from?" Darius asked.

"Just my thoughts on it." Spike said simply.

"You speak with knowledge far beyond someone of your age. This similar conversation has been between masters for years." Darius smiled. "Where did you learn to hold your own in an argument like that?"

"From Twilight, she enjoyed long debates. We used to talk into the small hours on everything." Spike admitted.

"You cared for this Twilight then?" Darius wondered.

"With everything." Spike said. "But, the Jedi…"

"…deny emotions." Darius finished. "Yes, the code does forbid it."

"Only the ones that have been redone." Spike pointed out.

"The council would not be pleased if they learnt that I allowed an initiate to take lessons from the old code." Darius said simply.

"Then I will do as the council commands." Spike said, slightly aggervated.

"If you believe that's wise." Darius said.

With that, Darius once again began to circulate the initiates, his eyes alighting on Zuno, as he looked around in confusion.

"Emotion, yet peace." Spike muttered under his breath.

Almost three hours later, Darius brought the attention back to him, ceasing their learning of the code.

"Jedi don't fight for peace, no matter how much some say we do. We fight to uphold civilisation, because only through civilisation, can we create peace. We fight for justice, because this allows for civilisation to flourish. If a civilisation is built upon the sands of the unjust, it will crumble when the storms hit." He said, looking around the initiates. "For us, the Jedi, this strength, and that of the code, is built upon the three core tenants. The Force, Knowledge, and Self-Discipline. Can anyone tell me what any of these mean to the Jedi?"

"Knowledge. Jedi are supposed to be clever?" Zuno asked.

"Close. The pillar of knowledge maintains that the Jedi cannot fulfill our role in the galaxy without the study and wisdom that we are taught, and that is held in the Archives. The Force. It is a Jedi's power, and in return, we swim through it in our every moment, breathe it, taste it, and ride its currents to our own destinies. The final pillar is Self-Discipline, and advocates the study of combat. These classes must take a second seat to the first two pillars, lest you find yourself drawn to it."

"But the Jedi are great warriors." Asha pointed out.

"We are." Darius said, "But not through focus on combat but through our mastery of the force." Darius finished before turning, as the door swung open. "Daka." Darius nodded, before turning back to the initiates. "This, is knight Daka. He is to accompany you, and show you to mid-day meals."

Nodding in agreement, the initiates stood up and followed Daga out of the room.

"So you five are the new initiates?" Daga asked, before continuing, not waiting for an answer he already knew. "What do you think of Master Darius? He was the one who trained my clan a few years back."

"Master Darius is slightly scary." Asha said.

"Is it his attitude?" Daga asked with a slight smile.

"Kind of." Asha said nervously.

"He got them fighting for the Republic. One must always remember how much he gave in this regard." Daga nodded before stopping at another door. "You will receive meals here while you are in the temple."

With that, Daga turned and left, leaving the others to walk into the room were the food is.

"So, do you reckon they have any gems here?" Spike asked.

"Nobody else eats gems." Asha laughed. "I thought we had this discussion on the ship."

"We did." Spike nodded. "But a dragon can dream can't he?"

"Tell you what Spike." Zuno grinned. "You ask a Jedi to give up a Lightsaber crystal and eat that."

"The thought had crossed my mind." Spike agreed, before grinning. "Seriously though let's go. I haven't eaten since we got off the ship and I'm hungry."

"It's good to see you happy Spike." Asha smiled.

"Well, there's no point being sad all the time. Pinkie could probably make me happy at a time like this."

"Pinkie?" Asha asked. "Wait, isn't she one of your old friends? The element of honesty or something?"

"Close. Pinkie Pie's the element of Laughter." Spike smiled, reaching the counter and asking for a pile of fruit and vegetables, before walking over to a table and waiting for the others. It didn't bother him that the others ate meat but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe one day he would try but not yet.

"Your home sounds quite like a tribe." Brandon said while sitting next to Spike and grinning at him.

"I guess you could say that." Spike nodded, biting a chunk out of a piece of fruit before swallowing and speaking again. "Than again it's not completely like a tribe."

Finishing up there food, Spike and the others made their way back towards the room where they had been before, being met by Darius who was sitting cross legged in the middle of the room. What was odd however was the fact that he was hovering a good three feet off the ground, his eyes tightly shut and his mouth moving silently. As they entered his eyes flew open and he looked at the initiates while lowering down to the floor and getting back to his feet.

"You have begun to learn the steps of the Jedi, in the form of our Code. Now I shall train your ability in the force before finally ascertaining your physical capabilities."

With that, Darius levitated a series of small rocks over to the five initiates, placing one before each of them before stepping back.

"The force requires nothing more than the will of a sensitive individual to be used. Focus your efforts on the rock that is placed in front of you and attempt to move it. Visualise it rolling away from you or levitating upwards." Darius instructed.

Nodding, the five initiates began to stare at the rock in front of them. Spike crunched his face up trying to empty his mind of everything but the rock. Extending his hand outwards he pushed with his mind, imagining the ball rolling forward slightly before opening his eyes only to find that the rock had not moved an inch. Looking around at the others they were doing similar things to Spike and were being met with the same results.

Again Spike tried to move the rock this time just imagining it rolling a tiny bit but being met with the same result.

For almost an hour Spike and the others tried to get the rocks to show even the slightest bit of movement but being met with nothing but annoyed sighs as no one found any success.

"Yes!" Asha suddenly shouted as the rock that she was focusing on suddenly rolled away from her while moving at a very slow pace.

"Well done." Darius nodded, picking up the rock again and placing it back in front of her. "Again."

After that the others managed to move their rocks consistently until only Spike had not seen success.

Trying one last time Spike closed his eyes and extended both his hands towards the rock willing it to lift before peeking out of one eye and seeing that he was getting nowhere. Closing his eyes again Spike focused when an idea came into his head. Instead of focusing solely on the rock, Spike focused on something that he knew would be able to pick it up. Instantly, the rock in his mind's eye was surrounded in a purple aura and rolled away from him. Opening his eyes quickly he watched as the rock rolled quickly away from him.

Darius looked at Spike for a moment before retrieving the rock and placing it back to where it originally was. "Again."

Once again Spike closed his eyes and imagined the familiar purple aura surrounding and lifting the rock before watching it roll away in his mind. Opening his eyes he smiled, as he watched it move away from him.

"It seems that you are all at similar levels, with Asha perhaps showing more natural aptitude towards the art of telekinesis." With a flick of his wrist the rocks were pushed away. "Now, we have ascertained who among you can wield the force with the highest degree of untempered skill but now we must find out what you are all physically capable of. The Jedi must be able to hold their own in contests of strength as well as to have the stamina to continue on your journey, with nothing but the force to sustain you."

Beckoning for them to follow him, Darius led the five across the room, over to a small area, set on top of mats rather than stone. On the far side of the mats were rows of weights and padded benches.

"We will start with simple press-ups and sit-ups until I can ascertain how much would be safe for each of you to lift." Darius said. "Does everyone know what a press-up and a sit-up is?"

When nobody said that they didn't Brandon indicated that they should all assume the position.

"Ok." He said, looking around and making sure that everyone was in the correct position. "And down."

10 reps later.

"And up." Darius said.

Suddenly a thump was heard and the group looked to see Asha on the floor.

"Well done Asha." Darius nodded. "Please come and stand over here so as to not distract the others. Down."

16 reps later.

"I can't go any further." Briana muttered before she failed as well.

"Up. Darius said.

Zuno pushed himself up while struggling to keep going before collapsing beside his sister. Spike and Brandon looked at each other and smiled as the twins moved over to stand by Darius and Asha.

"Down."

15 reps later

Spike struggled to push himself up, his muscles burning with the constant strain he was placing upon them. He had never used to pride himself on his strength while in Canterlot but after he had moved to Ponyville and met Rarity he had been slowly trying to build his figure to impress her.

Beside him, Brandon looked as if he was also struggling but also looked as if he could keep going for a bit longer.

"Down." Darius said. "Up."

Spike tried to do another press-up but his arms simply wouldn't obey and he ended up collapsing to the ground.

"Well done Spike." Darius smiled while Spike walked next to him where the others were. Darius looked at Brandon, "Down."

The human continued a few more reps before he finally dropped to the training mats, panting slightly.

"Forty eight press-ups." Darius nodded. "For a child that is well above average."

He looked at everyone while keeping a straight smile.

"For now your training is over. Follow me and I will show you to your dorms."

With that Darius swept out of the room, the others trailing behind him. The six of them walked through the Jedi temple, Darius pointing out various places on their way and stating that they would need to memorise and learn all of these areas in the coming weeks before finally, they reached a small door.

"Here you are. From this day forth you will be known as the Darius Clan."

With that Darius turned and walked away down the corridor as the others walked into the dorm, being met with a small room just wide enough to hold five beds, a footlocker at the end of each of them and a free standing locker for each of them against the far wall.

"Well. It's getting late." Asha said while looking at a clock on the wall. "I think we should all turn in. Looks like we'll be getting up early for the next ten weeks."

"Next ten weeks?" Zuno asked, stripping down to his underwear before getting into a bunk and pulling the covers around him. "This is going to be fun."

"Great." Spike muttered while lying down on the bed.

Closing his eyes Spike remembered Darius words about learning the Jedi code and taking its message to heart.

"Emotion, yet Peace. Ignorance, yet Knowledge. Passion, yet Serenity. Chaos, yet Harmony. Death, yet the Force." He said softly to himself before quickly drifting off to sleep, already knowing who he would dream of once again.

 **Will that was fun to write and I hope you all enjoyed it. I was planning on making it next week but I just decided to make it this week because why not. One last thing, We are at the beginning of the clone wars if anyone wanted to know, I will be using the expanded universe feats because the feats are far more impressive than the movies and clone wars T.V show. I hope you guys will continue to read my story and hope you have a nice day.**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Orb**

Spike was cleaning the tree house than an amazing thing happened he found an orb laying on the ground right next to Twilight's bed it looked to be about 3 inches wide he took a closer look at it than a thing poped into his mind, "Maybe I can give these to Rarity?" Spike looked at it again than Instantly, the sphere changed, taking on a much darker color, and emitting a small burst of energy, which pushed Spike away from it and smashed him into the headboard which dazed him slightly.

"Ugh…Twilight, is this something to do with you?" He mumbled.

"Slowly, the sphere began to grow, expanding outwards and beginning to advance up the bed towards where Spike was lying. As it did this something began to exert a force on Spike and small objects from around the room began to shake violently before moving straight toward the sphere.

"Twilight?" Spike asked, his voice getting slightly louder.

The sphere continued to grow in both size and as it did so the force it was exerting on everything else grew as well. Grabbing hold of the Headboard Spike held on for dear life as his feet was being pulled towards the energy.

"TWILIGHT!" He screamed, now very terrified, now beginning to lose his grip on the headboard

"Ugh…what is it Spike?" Came the voice of Twilight from a few rooms over.

"HELP!" He screamed, his claws scraping deep furrows into the dark wood as he was pulled harder by the invisible force.

"Hold on!" She shouted before a crash was heard around the house and emanating from Twilights room.

"NOOOOO!" He screamed. Finally losing his grip on the bed as the wood splintered under his claws.

Flying backwards through the air, he desperately tried to grab onto anything he could but for once his claws were working against him as everything he tried to grab ripped under his grip.

As soon as his feet touched the energy, a burning sensation travelled up his body, as smaller tendrils of energy moved up his body now it engulfing him fully before with a final last scream he was dragged into the ball of energy disappearing from the room.

A moment later, Twilight burst into the room just in time to see a small white ball fade from existence at the very end of her bed.

"Spike?" She asked uncertainly. Now she looked everywhere around the room.

Darting around the room she took in every aspect of the room including the large amount of new bits of stuff around the floor ranging from a few pencils to whole notebooks worth of parchment.

"Spike?!" She shouted, tears started to form in her eyes. "Spike answer me!"

When there was no reply, tears began to appear in larger numbers in her eyes. Quickly, she ran out of the room now checking the whole library for something, anything that could help her in her time of need. Finding nothing and with tears freely flowing down her. She than sprinted for the door than teleporting a second before she hit it and materialising on the other side.

Stepping back from the door she stared up at the tree. From the outside it looked exactly how it always looked. No damage noticeable, no magical residue floating around it just nothing.

"Spike?" She uttered mindlessly.

She thought about that for a moment, stunned. Sluggish. Than suddenly a thought hit her and instantly she decided on her next course of action.

"Taking off at a sprint, her horn lit up, and she covered herself in a purple aura, casting her cloudwalker spell, and continuing running, before disappearing in a soft pop.

Reappearing again, she found herself on Rainbow Dash's porch. Not wasting time with knocking she teleported into the house sprinting up to Rainbows room and shaking the Pegasus awake.

"Rainbow! My library! Now!" She screamed before vanishing once again.

A few miles away, Twilight reappeared directly outside of Applejacks bedroom, before repeating the process she had done with Rainbow.

Twilight repeated the process three more times before rematerializing outside of her library now waiting for her friends.

Twilight stood in absolute silence outside of her library, thinking about what could of happened. He was there for one second than he disappeared but there must've been a simple solution for what was going on.

"Twi? What's all this about?" Applejack asked, catching Twilight unaware and causing her to jump a feet up into the air.

"Settle down there scardy cat." Pinkie laughed, bouncing up and down in front of Twilight.

"Sorry. I was thinking." Twilight said before turning to the others, revealing tears falling down her eyes. "Spike's gone."

"Whatever do you mean darling?" Rarity asked while putting her hoof around Twilight.

"Spike, he called out and when I got there…" Her tears began to fall quicker. When she had been thinking about it she had manage to keep her composure but now she had actually crippled her.

"Don't worry Twilight." Rainbow smiled. "I'm sure he's just playing a prank on you." With that she raised her head and shouted in the direction of the library. "Hey Spike! Good one but jokes up now!"

Rainbow crossed her forehooves and waited a smug grin on her face as she thought that she had solved the problem. A full minute passed and no answer. Rainbows face fell consistently throughout the minute as well, before she shakily called out again.

"Spike?"

"He's not there!" Twilight shouted at Rainbow.

"We need to find him then." Fluttershy squeaked. "He's only a baby dragon after all, remember what happened when he left after the whole incident with Owlowiscious."

"I'll search the house for you darling." Rarity said softly before walking away from Twilight and moving towards the library.

"I'll get my brother to gimme a hoof with the search around town." Applejack said, taking off at a run towards Sweet Apple Acers.

"I'm searching the Everfree." Twilight said softly, gently pushing Pinkie and Fluttershy off her as she did. "He may have wondered off I guess." She finished the last bit in an extremely unenthusiastic tone.

"I'm coming with you." Rainbow said, swooping down and landing next to Twilight.

"Me too." Fluttershy said moving forward.

"You would voluntarily to go into the Everfree forest?" Rainbow asked.

"I can't let Spike be there on his own." She defended. "I can get my animal friends to look as well."

"Guess I'm coming too." Pinkie said before running to catch up with the group before taking the lead.

The four ponies walked through the near pitch darkness of the early morning Everfree forest. The sun was still a few hours away from the horizon and long shadows were being created by Luna's moon.

"Where should we start?" rainbow asked while looking around the forest.

"None of my animal friends have seen Spike in the forest and he isn't with that big ferocious dragon either." Fluttershy said.

"We should go see Zecora." Pinkie said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's actually an excellent idea." Twilight said.

"I often have good ideas and yet ponies are always surprised." Pinkie grinned.

Twilight lead the group in the direction of Zecora's hut. She often wondered how she could find the hut whenever she wanted to, where ever she happened to be but pushed the irrelevant thought from her mind. All she wanted to do was to find Spike. Everything else was a secondary concern even her own wellbeing.

That final thought only crossed her mind as a thin branch whipped back, leaving a scar across her left cheek.

A while later the four caught sight of Zecora's hut and despite the hour that they had approached it, Twilight banged loudly on the door.

"Zecora! We need your help!"

From within the hut, a thud was heard, as a skull connected with a wooden floor before hoofsteps were heard approaching the door and slowly it inched open, revealing the zebra behind it.

"Twilight Sparkle and her friends, what bring you four to these ends?" Zecora asked, gently rubbing the side of her head although whether it was from banging it on the floor or simply because she was tiered.

"Spike's missing!" Twilight said. "We…"

"…came to see if I know where he went?"

"He cried out for me. Then he wasn't in his room." Twilight explained.

"I am sorry Twilight." Zecora said and instantly Twilight was alert. "I can't help you."

"You're not rhyming." Fluttershy said.

"There are some things that are not a joke and these must be said without my note." She replied simply. "I wish you luck on your quest and I hope it turns out for the best."

"Thank you for trying Zecora." Twilight said. "We'll let you get back to sleep."

Twilight looked ready to burst into tears as the door shut in her face and she slid down to the floor, sobbing silently.

"I don't know what to do." She said softly. "I've asked everypony I know."

"Really Twilight?" Pinkie asked. "Really?"

"I've got to side with Pinkie here." Rainbow said, looking at Twilight. "For a smarty pants book worm you really can be dense."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, sniffing.

"Now let's think. Who do we know who sends messages to Spike through magic? Somepony who is extremely powerful and knows more about the world and the sun than anypony else?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh of course!" Twilight shouted, smashing her face with her hoof in exasperation. "Why didn't I think of it?"

"Because you," Pinkie said, bopping Twilight on her nose "are too smart."

"We need to get going." Twilight said while getting up and sprinting forward. Sighing, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie shook their heads, before taking off after Twilight.

Once again Twilight stood in front of her library, thinking what to do next and praying that whatever she did would be enough to save Spike. Around her, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy shared similar feelings. Applejack was on her way back to the library and Rarity was finishing what felt like the millionth sweep of the house for any clues as to where Spike had gone.

"I found nothing." Rarity said sadly, walking out of the house.

"And I didn't find anything either." Applejack said, walking towards the group. "Big Mac is still lookin around town but I don't think that he's gonna find anything."

"It doesn't matter." Twilight said, scrunching her face up in concentration. "We are going to the princesses."

"We catching the train then?" Pinkie asked excitedly. "I love the train."

"No." Twilight said before opening her eyes again. A bright glow that surrounded her horn increased in size to encompass all five of her friends. A split second later all six ponies disappeared.

The six appeared almost instantly in the Canterlot throne room, stunning the ponies present and even taking the princess who was sat on her throne stunned for a split second before regaining her composure and looking at the six.

"Twilight Sparkle. What is the meaning of this interruption?" Celestia asked while rising from her throne and making her way down the steps to the main floor of the throne room.

"It's about Spike."

"Now Twilight." Celestia said soothingly. "What is the problem about Spike?"

"He called out for me from his room and when I got there he wasn't there." Twilight explained.

"Are you sure?"

"We searched the library, Ponyville and the Everfree Forest for him." Twilight said. "He wasn't there."

"This is troublesome news." Celestia said before her horn lit up and she summoned a roll of letter. "However, Spike is not ordinary and I have a way to contact him anywhere on the planet through the enchantments I placed upon him as a child."

"So you can find him?" Twilight asked in excitement.

"Correct." Celestia replied with a smile before her horn glowed slightly brighter.

Instantly, the letter was engulfed in flames as it had been so many times before. This time however instead of the green flames that usually heralded Spikes messaging system a bright purple flame engulfed the letter, consuming it almost instantly and reducing it to a pile of ash that landed in front of a stunned Celestia.

"Princess?" Twilight asked confused.

"I… I don't understand." Celestia said, staring at the ash on the floor. "That spell has a range to reach across the entire planet."

"But it didn't send." Rarity pointed out.

"Yes." Celestia said. "There are only two reasons as to why this would happen."

"And those reasons are?" Applejack asked.

"Either he is not on this world anymore or he is dead." Celestia said.

Twilight stared at her mentor, unable and unwilling to believe what she had just heard.

"That can't be true." She said softly staring straight at Celestia.

"It is not something I take pleasure in.." Celestia said slowly, "But it is something that I must say as both your friend, princess and mentor."

Twilight stared at the princess, her jaw hanging open as she fought with her own self-conscious to process exactly what Celestia had said.

Then she raised her face, opened her mouth and screamed. The scream could be heard all throughout the castle. She fainted because of the stress but now how would she face the reality... Spike was gone.

 **That was a pretty depressing chapter. If anybody wanted to know each chapter will come out on each Friday. This chapter took place slightly after King Sombra defeat but before Discords return. I pretty much copied one of my other story chapters and added to it. I hope you all enjoyed it and hope you keep reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Duel**

It has been three weeks since Spike had first been brought to the temple and already he could feel that he was stronger than he ever was in Equestria. His control of the force while not mastered, had grown exponentially along with that of the other members of the Darius clan. It was no longer hard to move the small boulders in the training room and Spike did not have to think of a Unicorn's magic to use the force, although when he did he found it quite easier. Now, he could lift multiple of the boulders at once, Struggling but could still pick them up nevertheless.

"Who can tell use what happened during 25,000 BBY" Darius asked.

"Sir." Spike said while raising his hand up. "The modern Light sabers was created during that time."

"Correct and well done on learning about basic history." Darius said before walking on. "Now, who can tell me what this war teaches us?"

"How to get anger out." Zuno said while grinning.

"No, War teaches us that life is not always easy. It can be started many ways either someone wants to rule something or conflicts between people. It requires us to learn from our mistakes and it also gives us a chance to improve ourselves from mistakes we have made."

Telling them the lesson is over, and the initiates stood up, placing their datapads away for the time being. Spike looked around at the others.

Briana and Zuno wore short brown robes with a belt going around there waists.

Brandon wearing a dark robe also with a belt around his waist. Asha also wearing the same uniform as the rest only slightly green. Spike wore a dark blue robe closely matching his skin color while he to wore a belt around his waist.

It felt odd to wear anything, after so long of only wearing clothes for formal occasions but Spike had to admit that it felt good. Turning to face the others he watched in amusement as Asha once again practicing with the force, lifting up a few rocks weighing nearly one thousand pounds altogether and trying to keep each one steady. The rocks rose above the floor before one simply dropped back down.

"So close!" Asha said to herself, the other rocks dropping to the floor with a loud bang.

Out of all of them, Brandon was still struggling with his control over the force. He had no problem with lifting a single, large object but his control of multiple smaller objects was nearly impossible for him to do. The failure was eating away at him but he still tried.

"Don't worry to much about it Brandon." Spike said. "You're stronger than us when you only have to pick up one big rock."

"But I can't even pick up four rocks at the same time." Brandon asked slightly aggravated.

"You'll be able to do it eventually." Zuno smiled, walking over.

"Zuno is right." Darius nodded, walking over and placing a hand on Brandon shoulder. "The force is a difficult thing to master. Some Jedi practice for a lifetime and still never achieve full mastery over it. You cannot expect to become an expert in only a few weeks."

"How about we have a duel in physical strength maybe that can help you calm down." Asha suggested.

"Fine. But I will probably win." Brandon grinned looking over at some small mats that could be used for a match.

"You're on." Asha grinned before she suddenly stopped and looked at Brandon. "That is if it's ok with you, Master."

"It could serve as an interesting display of what you are all capable in brute strength." Darius said. "I had planned to do something similar in a few days but we can do it now."

"It is Master Darius after all. What did you expect?" Zuno whispered to Spike causing him to grin. Zuno was right, Darius did like to spar more than many other Jedi masters.

Leading the group towards the training mats, Darius turned to face them again.

"Right this is how this shall work." He said, looking at each of them in turn. "Two of you step into the ring. The first one to set foot outside of the ring loses. Anything goes while in the ring and you can use either your physical strength or your knowledge of the force to force your opponent out. Any questions?"

"Is there a time limit?" Spike asked while stretching his arms out above his head.

"There is not." Darius replied before glancing around. "Now, Asha and Spike take position."

Darius stood back as Spike and Asha moved into the ring on the training mats, taking their position on opposite sides and turning to face each other.

"Ready?" Spike growled.

"I am." She nodded, "You."

"Always."

"Begin." Darius said with a slight smile.

Spike and Asha began to circle around each other, looking at the others movements before making an attack. Patience, as Darius had taught them.

Suddenly, Asha sprung forward, diving towards Spike and grabbing hold of both his arms, attempting to use her momentum to toss Spike from the arena. Spike barely moved as she did so, grinning before flexing his arms, breaking her grip. Taking a step back Spike thrust his hand towards Asha and called upon the force.

Asha went falling backwards, but it was not enough to force her from the ring. Getting up she didn't notice that Spike went forward, copying Asha's first attack perfectly and this time the move worked perfectly.

Grabbing his lighter and weaker opponent, Spike used his own forward momentum to spin her around, pulling her off the floor before tossing her from the ring with ease. Asha nearly hitting the ground before Brandon extended his own hand and Asha suddenly stopped mid-air before being lowered back to the ground.

"Spike wins." Darius said before turning to the rest of them. "Zuno, Briana get into you're fighting positions. It should be interesting to see you two fight."

The twins took the same position as Spike and Asha had did just a moment before and turning to face each other. Spike already could see that this fight was going to be different from his fight. They both knew each other perfectly and would be able to match the others moves blow for blow. All that would have changed between now and the constant fights that ended in draws aboard the ship would be their command of the force.

As expected the two lunged at each other almost as soon as Darius had nodded for the fight to begin, clashing in the middle of the ring. Zuno brought his hand whipping around but Briana knew what he would do and duked, avoiding the blow before she lunged again, bringing her knee up into Zuno's chest. The brother grunted slightly but had prepared for the blow and rolled backwards before jumping back at his sister.

The pair seemed so opposed now that they had unlocked the power of the force. One, Zuno, used the power of the force to strengthen his own abilities, his speed, his strength, everything, while Briana had focused on learning to channel the force. She had almost no grasp over physical strength using the force while her brother was almost as weak as her but strengthening his own abilities further because of the force.

Zuno once again swung his fist at his sister, moving faster than Spike had thought possible. Clearly Briana had not expected it either as the fist impacted with her jaw and sent her flying nearly over the arena.

With a groan she got to her feet just as Zuno sprang at her, jumping higher than he should have been able to. Throwing her right hand forward, an invisible force hit her brother and he was thrown backwards, crashing to the floor just outside of the ring.

"Briana wins." Master Darius said, looking impressed at the young Padawan. "Now, only Brandon hasn't had a chance to prove himself…"

"Master, if I may." Brandon said while raising his hand.

"What is it Padawan?" Darius asked, looking at him.

"Can I prove myself against Spike?" Brandon asked while turning to look at the purple dragon.

"Spike?" Darius asked, turning to face the dragon. "What do you say?"

"Brandon asked and I'll answer... I accept" Spike grinned, looking at the Human.

"Very well. Take position." Darius said, standing aside.

"You sure you're up for this?" Brandon said.

"Ready to beat you." Spike grinned.

"Begin!" Darius shouted as the others crowded around the ring.

Rushing forward, Brandon swung his fist at Spike only to find it blocked by Spike. Not giving the dragon a chance to react, Brandon lashed out again, catching Spike on the back, grunting in pain as he hit the hard scales there.

Taking advantage of his opponent's momentary pain, Spike brought his head forward, smashing it into Brandon nose. He grunted in pain, but didn't react any more than that, bringing his hands up to protect his face from the blows Spike was throwing at his friend. Spike realized he wasn't getting through Brandon solid defense and changed his tactic, dropping low, and sweeping his leg around to try and trip Brandon up. Branson saw the attack coming and instead of facing it jumped back before raising his hands. Spike knew what was coming next, and instinctively raised his own hand, extending it palm forwards towards Brandon palm.

The two grunted in exhaustion as each tried to push the other one away with the force but being unable to find their way through the others use of the force.

Yelling, Brandon extended his other hand towards Spike and the dragon suddenly felt himself being slammed backwards. It was to late to react and he was thrown out of the arena.

"Brandon wins." Darius smiled. "You did very well padawans."

"You would have beaten me if I didn't use my second hand to strengthen my blow, and you could have also beaten me if you realized that I was going to use two hands matter in fact I felt like you allowed me to win since you could have done the same thing as I did anytime." Brandon grunted slightly irritated that he thought Spike allowed himself to lose.

"Possibly but I didn't and for that you still win." Spike said "anyways that was hard Brandon."

"It was but it was very fun." Brandon laughed.

"Now that that's over, I believe it is almost time for dinner." Darius smiled. "As soon as we finish, we will meet back here for the final lesson of the day."

With that Darius and his group walked toward the dining hall.

 **Equestria**

Twilight and her friends has been searching for Spike for over three weeks and to no avail. They all agreed it was best to stop searching since they were getting no clues. Now they are going to have a funeral for him and for all he has done for them. When the funeral was about to begin a good portion of all the ponies waited there until it started.

Twilight stood in silence with the other princesses of Equestria and her friends. Behind her stood the rest of Twilight's family, Shining Armor at the front with her parents just beside him. Another few tears rolled down Twilight's chin as she saw where Spike should have been standing and for the briefest of moments Twilight thought she saw him before the apparition faded along with her horn. Turning around Twilight looked on mournfully her surroundings refusing to look directly in front of her.

She was standing in the Ponyville library the one she had renamed as Spike's library but the books had all been covered up with black fabric, interlaced with dark emeralds, courtesy of Rarity, who was also crying. In fact now Twilight looked around every pony had tears in their eyes whether they were running down their chins or not.

Finally, Twilight let her eyes fall on the object just in front of her. It was a small brown casket, the wood inlaid with purple and green swirls. On top of the casket stood a photo of her pseudo-brother and just the sight of it almost made Twilight burst into a full blown sobbing fest again. Stepping forward, Twilight turned to face the gathered ponies to make a speech.

"Spike, was a friend to all." She said, forcing herself not to sob or sniff as she did her number one assistant justice in his leaving the world. "Out of all of us he was the only one who embodied five of our elements and given the chance I am sure he would have mastered mine as well. If you want to remember Spike in the years to come remember this. Spike the dragon was unique amongst his species. He alone was loyal to anything other than his own desires he was generous to a fault and he laughed at others humour not their pain. He was honest when it mattered and he was beyond kind. Remember Spike as the dragon that all others should look to."

Standing back Twilight glanced over at Celestia, Luna and Cadence, all of whom were silently crying. Nodding, each one of them illuminated their own horn and surrounded the empty casket in their combined magic. Twilight gently levitated the picture off and stood it beside some lit candles before turning to face the casket and adding her magic to the other three Alicorns.

Slowly, all three Alicorns and Twilight marched out of the library being met by a specifically organised rain that was made by Rainbow Dash and a letter of intervention from Celestia. Walking through the town the ponies of Ponyville flocked onto the streets wishing to pay their respects to the funeral procession.

By the time they had reached the hill that they had decided upon they had already amassed a large crowd who followed the four princesses in silence. Stopping, Twilight looked down at the hole in the earth and sighed. This was going to be his final resting place.

As the Alicorns began to lower the casket into the hole, Luna began to speak softly yet somehow could be heard clearly by every pony even over the rain.

I cannot say, and I will not say,

that he is dead, he is just away.

With a cheery smile, and a wave of a hoof,

he has wandered into an unknown land,

and left us dreaming, how very fair,

it needs must be, since he lingers there.

Waiting to return.

As Luna finished speaking the Casket reached the bottom of the hole. As the other Alicorns stopped the glow around their horns Twilight kept hers going looking over at a large pile of dirt. Surrounding it in her magic she quickly picked it up before softly placing it atop the casket smoothing it over so that the bare earth and the grass were perfectly even. Casting a quick spell Twilight assured that no grass would ever spread onto the graves before nodding to Fluttershy.

The timid butter yellow Pegasus moved forward and slowly knelt down scraping away a small patch of earth and placing a single flower in the hole before packing the earth back in around it.

"Rest Spike." She sobbed softly, before returning to the crowd.

At this, Applejack and Rainbow moved forward holding a large slab of polished obsidian between them. They were struggling and panting as they placed it at the head of the grave but had refused to let Twilight take it from them wanting to do their part for the funeral.

Finally Pinkie Pie moved forward and untied the single black balloon from her hoof reattaching it to the headstone before moving back while having tears in her eyes.

Moving forward again, Twilight addressed the crowd.

"Here lies Spike. A friend to all, a brother, and the best assistant a Unicorn could ask for."

As the following days to come Celestia felt something was off. Twilight became quieter while barely speaking to any of here friends. Celestia knew if she just gave Twilight more time Twilight was sure to get better but something else was off... Each passing day her eyes become more and more yellow.

 **Her eyes are slowly becoming yellow... that isn't good. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and hope they keep on reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Lightsaber Training Begins**

Laughing, the five younglings made their way back towards the training hall, discussing between themselves what the interesting lesson Darius had planned for them today.

"Maybe he's going to teach us how to blow stuff up with the force." Zuno grinned.

"I doubt it. More than likely it's going to be some history lesson on the Great Hyperspace War or the ancient Jedi order." Asha said.

"I sorta don't want to learn more about History. It's kind of dull and boring" Brandon said.

"Maybe but those that forget history are doomed to repeat it." Asha replied.

"Hey, look on the bright side." Spike smiled. "Maybe it will be another spar and this time I will beat everyone."

"Try it little dragon." Brandon grinned.

"Um… Spike has shown greated skill in the force and his physical strength is near you're own Brandon." Asha pointed out. "Anyways we are here so we will figure it out in a moment."

Nodding, the five made their way inside the large room, quickly moving across it to where Darius stood. Behind him was a table loaded with small spherical droids, as well as a series of odd looking helmets.

"Younglings. I trust you got enough sleep?" Darius asked, looking over the five.

"Yes master." They answered in unison.

"Good. Now can anyone of you tell me what this is?" Darius asked, picking up one of the strange droids.

"It's a marksman class-G combat remote." Asha said. "They are being brought in to replace the old mark-F, and has a more efficient targeting computer.

"Very good." Darius nodded, placing the droid down and picking up one of the helmets. "And this?"

"A blast helmet for artillery operators." Brandon said simply.

"Good. There is one for each of you, take one and put it on."

Doing so, each of them clipped the helmet to their head, grumbling softly under their breath as they discovered the helmets were quite heavy.

"Good." Darius said before reaching behind him and unclipping a small tube from his belt. "And you all know what this is?"

"A Lightsaber!" Spike shouted out, realising what training would be.

"Yes and no." Darius said. "This Lightsaber is not like mine and has been designed for training purposes only. The electromagnetic containment field has been intensified more than in a standard Lightsaber which makes it harder to do more than bruise or slightly burn the target."

Handing it over to Spike, Darius drew out four more lightsabers, handing them out before drawing his own.

"This is the formal weapon of the Jedi order. It is elegant and has poise, unlike the clumsiness or randomness of a blaster. It needs more than simple sight to use but it is more than a weapon, it is a symbol. Any thug can use a blaster, and any trained soldier can use a sword. But a Lightsaber, only a few can use these things without killing themselves."

Igniting his own Light saber, Darius showed off the bright blue blade, swinging it slowly in front of the others.

"Press the button on the hilt to ignite the blade." Darius instructed and instantly, five blue blades ignited before them.

"The blade is made of plasma and is capable of cutting through nearly any material, as well as deflecting blaster bolts. Normally, this would be impossible but with the force as your ally, you will learn to do it. Today I will teach you the fundamental points about the first form of Lightsaber combat, Shii-Cho. It is a simple form, one that every Jedi learns as an initiate."

"So is this thing like a sword?" Brandon asked, spinning the Light saber.

"It is similar." Darius nodded, smiling slightly. "Shii-Cho was developed after we transitioned as an order from swords to Lightsabers. I will teach you the fundaments of this technique but it will be up to your future masters to decide which form you will train further in. Now, these droids are going to activate, one for each of you. The bolts they will be firing will be set to light only for this exercise. Intercept the bolts with the blade of the Lightsaber and direct them away from you. Do not think about it but use your instincts and the force to guide you."

Quickly grabbing a droid, he pressed a button on its underside and instantly the droid awoke. Springing out of Darius hand and floating over towards Spike. Repeating the process, the other droids awoke and hovered over to their own initiates.

The droid beeped once before a red light sprung out of one of the holes, speeding towards Spike. The dragon barely had time to raise his Lightsaber, managing to deflect it from its original path but not enough to make it miss him, the beam impacting on his arm.

A moment later, the droid fired again, catching Spike unaware and impacting on his back at an odd angle. Growling, Spike prepared himself for another shot and when the droid fired this time he was ready. Bringing his Lightsaber up, Spike managed to force the shot away from himself, sending it across the room where it eventually dissepeared.

"Good Spike." Darius said, walking slowly around the initiates. "Now, again."

"Why are we wearing these helmets anyway?" Spike asked, bringing his Lightsaber across and deflecting another bolt before a second hit his leg.

"All in good time Spike but for now just concentrate on the task at hand." Darius said, before walking off.

Nodding, Spike moved the lightsaber to the side before it fired two shots almost instantaniously. Spike managed to catch the first one, but the second one caught him off guard. It was going to be a long lesson.

 **Two hours later**

Spike and the others had learned to deflect the blaster bolts, managing to stop them from touching them sixty five times out of a hundred. Brandon was undoubtedly the best of them, quickly figuring out how to angle the Light saber in just the right way so as to deflect the shot back at the remote.

"Now that you have learned the basics, the power of the blasts will be increased. These blasts will no longer be simple light but will be set to stun. Much like the training light sabers the bolts will be painful but not lethal."

"You still never said what the helmets are for master." Spike pointed out.

"Ah, yes. Thank you for pointing that out Spike." Darius smiled. "In order to be sure that you are only reliant on the force and not on your eyes the helmets will be lowered to be down below you're eyes.

"What?" Briana asked in confusion. "But…"

"The force will guide you but you must trust it." Darius said smoothly. "Place yourselves fully into the force and you will be led."

Nodding, Briana pulled down the heavy metal visor, covering the majority of her face. Following her example, the others pulled down their own visors, plunging their vision into darkness.

"Reach out with the force." Darius ordered. "Feel where the shots will come from and…"

"AH!" Asha yelled out, being hit by a bolt.

"Focus." Darius ordered.

Taking notes Spike reached out with his mind, Spike felt the force aiding him, feeling where the blaster bolts was aiming at, Spike quickly brought his Lightsaber up, feeling the impact bounce off the plasma blade.

"Very good Spike." Darius said. "Asha, good form but poor execution. Be more precise in the future." He ordered, looking over at her, who was rubbing her arm from where she struck the bolt but nearly missing it with her own Light saber.

"Spike, focus." Darius said.

"I am master, the droid isn't doing anything." Spike replied.

"A shot just hit your back." Darius pointed out slowly.

"No it didn't, I didn't feel a thing." Spike said, before moving his Lightsaber to intercept another bolt.

"How interesting." Darius whispered before looking at the others. "Asha, well done but keep the blade in the upright position when you are not blocking or parrying it will make it easier for you to reach the different positions around your body."

Sensing more shots were about to be launched at him, he quickly brought his Light saber upright. Holding it tightly Spike felt one shot hit it and quickly moved it around to intercept the next shot, feeling five more shots strike the blade.

"Spike." Darius said, pulling Spikes visor up and looking at the him. "How did you do that?"

"Do what master?" Spike asked.

"Deflect that amount of shots?" Darius asked. "Not many initiate can do that. It is not unheard of but it is very rare."

"I just moved the Lightsaber logically to catch them in order, master." Spike informed him.

"Tell me, which do you find easier one shot or many?" Darius asked.

"I have more difficulty sensing multiple shots than just one, but It can be quite difficult." Spike replied.

"I see." Darius said. "Most initiates have trouble timing the shot. Even some knight's struggle with timing it but this being you're first time and nearly mastering something that would take months to perfect."

"I have an eye for detail." Spike said with a smile.

"I see." Darius said, before pushing the visor down again. "I'm increasing the shot frequency and speed, not that it should trouble you that much."

"Why?" Spike asked, bringing his Lightsaber up.

"To see what you can do." Darius said, before walking away again.

 **One Week Later**

It had been a week since Spike had begun training with the Light saber and he and the others had increased quickly in skill, being able to block a majority of shots even with the helmets down. One thing Spike had learned in the week was just how tough his scales are, especially those on his back.

Today though, Darius had said he had something different planned for them. As they entered the training room they instantly realised what was different about today's training. Instead of five remotes hovering around Darius, five humanoid droids surrounded him instead, each one holding a long baton that Spike recognised as a Jedi practice blade.

"Gather around." Darius ordered, quickly giving them the training light sabers. "Today, you will learn duelling practices. Who knows the main spots to attack on the body?"

"Master." Briana said, raising her hand. "the head, the right arm and side, the left arm and side, the back, the right leg, the left leg."

"Very good." Darius nodded. "Now, these five droids have been loaded with a high level knowledge of the Shii-Cho. Today, we will test your skill against them. Succeed and I will increase their level of skill, perhaps even to another form."

"When do we fight each other?" Spike asked.

"That will be your final test. After that I will allow you to go to Illum to complete your final test there."

Nodding, Spike moved towards one of the droids, noting that each one was scaled slightly differently from the others. Asha had a much smaller droid than Spike and Zuno, while Briana and Brandon had near identical droids. This was probably testing to see just how they could fair up against bigger and smaller creatures.

"Greetings Spike." The droid said, "I am a Jedi training droid. Prepare your weapon."

Nodding, Spike ignited the blade of his weapon, bringing it into a steady guard position. Instantly, the droid moved forward, raising its weapon high before bringing it down in a slash, aiming to strike him on the top of his head. Brining his Lightsaber up, Spike blade caught the droids own blade. The droid however was quite quick and darted forward with a stab, hitting Spike's stomach.

"Dead." It said before Spike began again.

Bringing his weapon down, Spike aimed to cut off the droids arm but the droid blocked the strike, before swinging its own practice blade and stopping an inch away from his waist.

"Dead." It repeated.

Rushing forward, Spike attempted to overpower the droid, forcing it to block three strikes before it blocked his forth strike and swung its practice blade down on Spike's wrist. Spike let go of his Lightsaber, as the droid moved closer, holding its blade against Spike's neck.

"Dead again." It said before releasing him.

"Oh great, a droid with a sense of humour." Spike said sarcastically.

"You must learn from you're mistakes." The droid said while picking up the deactivated hilt of Spikes Lightsaber and passing it to the dragon. "Master Darius has informed me that I am to teach you in the ways of Shii-Cho until you can face stronger opponents. Now..." It said, raising its weapon at Spike, "again."

 **That was a fun chapter to make and I hope others enjoyed it. trying to specify how they move the blades are going can be quite tricky. Anyways Only a few more chapters before we finish the first arc and we start to get to see more action.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The Trials of Illum**

It had been weeks since Spike and the others had been given their training lightsabers, weeks of hard training and no small amount of pain from the amount of losses Spike had endured. Nevertheless, Spike had gotten better since he had first began, at the same level of the others. Out of all of them he could make a strategy that could give him an edge on stronger opponents. His skill over the force is still lacking but still grows strongest each day.

Asha and Briana were stronger in the force than Spike was, There knowledge in Shii-Cho was still lacking but there strength in the force made up for this and allowed them to take the final test.

Brandon and Zuno on the other hand used brute strength to defeat there enemies, although there skills in the force was severally lacking there strength made up for this, they would overpower people with there skill in Shii-Cho. Darius had expressed concern over both of them trying to win with pure brute strength but he had soon learned there skill in light saber dueling exceeded his expectation and allowed them to take the final test.

Now after nine weeks at the Jedi temple, the five member of the Darius Clan were ready to undertake their final test, they now only had to wait for Master Darius to let them take the test. The five of them were now in the Jedi training room for what would probably be the last time when they were all together. After today, it would simply be a case of completing the Jedi temple apprentice tournament and gaining the attention of a master and then they would be out in the galaxy protecting it.

"Gather around apprentices." Darius said, as the five of them walked into the room. "There will be no more training or lessons that will be instructed by me. Today, you all will travel to the ice planet of Illum, accompanied by Jedi knight Daga." As he said this, a Jedi entered the room.

"It's nice to see you five again." He said

"On Illum, you will face numerous trials, but more importantly, you will find the crystals for your own Lightsaber. I will allow Daga to explain more on the journey."

When he finished Darius left the room leaving Daga with the intiates, before telling the initiates to follow him.

The six of them walked through the winding hallways of the temple, before they finally reached the one part that had been strictly off limits to them during their training, even when they were with Master Darius, the hanger bay. Quickly entering the room, Daga walked towards a small craft, before turning to face the initiates.

"You have all proven yourselves worthy to take this test." He said, slowly walking in front of the initiates. "For a Jedi, there is no greater challenge, or honour. Now, Spike, Brandon, Zuno, Asha, and Briana, the time has come to build your own Lightsabers." As he said this, he drew his own weapon. "But be warned, finding your crystals inside the caves of Illum will be no easy task, it is a test of minds. That being said, I hope you all pass now we will get going."

The initiates smiled, looking between each other in excitement, before following Daga into the ship. Shortly afterwards, they felt the ship move, slowly, it rose into the air before speeding off towards the ship in orbit that would take them to Illum.

"Master Daga." Zuno said, tapping the Jedi on his back.

"Zuno I am no master just a knight." Daga said while smiling.

"Sorry about that." Zuno said, "But if we do fail... what will happen to us?"

"You will try again until you pass." Daga said.

"I guess I shouldn't fail..." Zuno said getting worried.

"No worries I know we will pass." Asha told Zuno.

"I know but it's just..."

"You act just like me when I was taking this trial." Daga said.

"I suppose so." Zuno replied.

"It's best if we get some rest. We won't get there for awhile so just take it easy until then." Daga said before walking off.

After a few days of travel, the five members of Darius Clan, as well as Jedi knight Daga, descended towards the surface of Illum.

As the ramp to the spaceship opened, Spike realized the planet they are on was like the Crystal Empire except more empty.

Wrapping his arms around himself, Spike walked out into the icy weather, glad that there wasn't a storm wracking the surface as they walked towards a massive ice wall. Getting closer to it, Spike saw a beautifully crafted arch way, made entirely out of ice. The inside of the arch way was also filled with ice, but with a wave of his hand, Daga moved the ice aside revealing a large cave inside the wall. Walking in they quickly realized this was no simple cave... but couldn't tell what was different.

"If you are to become Jedi, you must enter the cave, trust yourself, trust your friends, trust the force. Do this and you will succeed." Daga said, turning back to the initiates.

Nodding, the initiates moved towards the cave. As they were about to enter, Daga stopped them.

"Once you have recovered your crystal, do not remain inside the caves. When day turns to night, the door will have frozen over once more, and you will be trapped for quite some time." He said, looking between the initiates.

"For how long exactly?" Spike asked.

"Until the sun comes back up." Daga said. "Become trapped and all we can do is wait, there will be no help to those caught inside."

"So… how long's until the sun comes up?" Brandon asked.

"The sun rises over Illum every nineteen days." Daga said.

"Are we going to encounter anything living in the caves?" Zuno asked.

"Gorgodon's, if anything. you shouldn't encounter them and even if you do, you should be able to protect yourselves from them." Daga replied.

"How will we know which crystal to pick?" Spike asked.

"Only you can decide that. As Master Darius taught, trust in the force. Now begin." Daga said, turning and walking away. The five members of Darius clan quickly made their way inside the cave.

The cave was dark, but quite beautiful at the same time, Some of the ice looking like crystals.

"Do you think those are the crystals?" Briana asked.

"No, this would be to easy." Spike said. "Remember Master Darius said we would face challenges." He finished.

"You are quite smart Spike." Asha laughed.

"I do read a lot." Spike said

"I guess we should probably get a move on." Briana pointed out.

"That's a good idea." Zuno said. "How are we going to do this?"

"Split up to find the crystals, then get back before it freezes over." Spike suggested.

"Are we all sure we can do it alone?" Asha asked.

"Spike is right. That would make it much easier." Brandon said.

"I suppose so." Asha said. "Alright let's get moving."

The five initiates all turned around and each one entering one of the many tunnels leading off from the main entrance, heading deeper into the cave.

 **Asha**

Asha ran down the passage way, drawing her fur coat around herself tighter to conserve what warmth that she had. She quickly scanned the walls as she ran.

Suddenly, a thought hit her and she stopped walking, emerging into a large circular ice room while looking around. For the first time she could remember in her life, she was alone, the master of her own destiny. There were no slavers towering over her making all the decisions for her, there were no Jedi masters teaching her every second of the day, she didn't have friends to comfort her from the memories of her past.

Pure terror gripped the young Twilek as she looked around the room, trying to remember which identical passage way she came down. Spinning around frantically she lost her footing and fell heavily onto the ground. A sickening crack sounded out as she smashed onto the floor.

Before she could do anything the ice beneath her cracked, A split second later the entire floor smashed, plunging Asha into the darkness below. As she fell she heard a rumbling sound as sheets of ice fell from the ceiling crashing over the entrance to the tiny cave, forming cruel bars across Asho's makeshift cage.

Covering her head, Asha curled herself up into a ball, protecting herself from the physical blows that always came after she was put into her cage, briefly wondering whether it would be the whip or the rod this time. She waited for what felt like an eternity for the blows to land, assuming that the long wait was another one of the master's cruel tricks to catch her off guard. Eventually, Asha cracked her eyes open, taking in her surrounding once again. Instantly, the mental images that had been forming in her mind about her past was gone, as she saw exactly where she was.

Looking around herself, she took in her new surroundings. She was in a tiny ice cavern, barely two meters by two meters back, giving her just enough space to move around if she stooped. Above her head, ice shards covered the hole she had come in from forming bars to complete her prison.

Reaching up, Asha made to push the ice away before pulling her hands back. She knew that touching the roof of her cage would result in punishment. She still bore the scars from all her attempts. Shaking her head, she tried to push the thoughts out of her mind, telling herself that it wasn't real and that she was no longer a slave of the huts but try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to touch the bars.

Sliding back down the walls, Asha put her head in her hands once more and began to cry. She had been stupid to believe she was free or could ever be a Jedi.

Sobbing, she glanced up looking at the ceiling above her, forcing herself to get at least one last glimpse of her newest surroundings before she froze to death in this hell that she found herself in.

A tiny glint caught her eye.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve, she looked up at the ceiling more carefully, hoping that it wasn't just her mind playing tricks on her again. For a moment, she couldn't find the glint from before and her heart sank again. As she was about to give up hope once more, she spotted it again, a small glinting speck in the ceiling, shining out against the ice surrounding it.

Quickly getting to her feet, being careful not to smack her head on the bars she looked up at the ice keeping her captive. Unsteadily, she reached up and touched the bars, flinching as she waited for the pain that would surely follow. When none came,she gritted her teeth and pushed. She must overcome this trial.

The ice scraped against the other bars, and began to rise slowly, before Asha slipped, falling to the floor and letting the bars fall back into place. Not allowing herself to be defeated, Asha rose again, grabbing hold of the bars and pushing. Slowly, they began to rise, but as they did she felt herself slipping again. Thinking quickly she shot her hand out, pointing it at the walls of her cage and channelling the force to push into the wall. The wall didn't move but Asha accomplished her goal and steadied her footing, using the force to steady herself as she continued to push the bars up before with one final effort she cleared them away and opened up the pathway to her escape.

Quickly climbing out of the make-shift cage, she made her way over to where she had seen the glinting crystal, quickly finding it, and inspecting it closely. It was small so small that if she hadn't known exactly where it was, she would never have seen it. If fact, the only reason she hadn't walked straight past it was because of the fact that she had fallen into the cage, and looked upwards.

Reaching out, she grabbed the crystal from the wall before slipping it into her pocket and turning on her heel, running back down the passageway she knew lead to the entrance.

 **Briana**

Briana made her way down the ice passage, checking at different intervals to see if she could find the crystal that she was looking for. Truth be told, she didn't actually know what she was looking for, having never seen what a Lightsaber crystal looked like and even if she had, knowing that it would be unique to her and her alone. She smiled briefly at thinking how her brother would be getting on in this.

It felt odd to be doing this without her brother, they hardly ever did things alone, they worked better when they were together but it wasn't the first time they had been separated and she wasn't worried. She could work on her own quite well and unlike her brother she knew how to get out of harsh situations.

Finding two passageways, Briana stopped, deciding which way to go.

"Might as well go right." She told herself.

Giggling to herself, she quickly found herself in a massive cavern and walked around in awe at the soaring walls and pillars of ice rising all the way to the ceiling. What really captivated her though was the massive waterfall at the end of the room, replete with large chunks of ice thundering along with it before smashing apart on the surface of the water to join the thousands of other tiny shards that were already there.

Glancing up she saw a large piece of ice reflecting something and glanced further down the wall her eyes found a small crystal object, resting on the surface of the ice shards down in the hole the waterfall had carved out.

Smiling to herself, Briana extended her hand, reaching out with the force to grab a hold of the crystal and pull it to her. Finding herself unsuccessful, Briana tried again, closing her eyes and scrunching her face up in concentration, willing the crystal to come towards her, but was once again found herself unsuccessful.

Groaning in frustration, Briana looked around the room, looking for anything that could help her reach what she instinctively knew was her Lightsaber crystal. Walking around the pit to the waterfall she quickly looked behind it, looking at the wall to see if she would be able to climb down and retrieve the crystal by hand. She put a hand on the wall, testing it to see if it would take her weight. The wall was freezing cold, and cracked as she stepped onto it but it held and Briana smiled to herself. She could imagine Zuno freaking out in this situation, she than kept going.

It was slippery and more than once she almost lost her footing but the wall still held and that was good enough for her. That was until she reached the halfway point. Stepping down, she placed her foot on an icy outcrop before lifting her other foot to find another wall. As soon as she rested her entire weight on the wall though, there was a cracking sound, and Briana only just managed to pull her foot away and place it back where it was originally before the ice broke off the wall, plummeting downwards and sliding into the water with a loud bang.

Briana began to climb back up, making sure to test each wall before putting her weight on it. She managed to make her way back to the top of the hole without incident and sat on the edge, looking down at her crystal.

As she looked down she noticed that the water had risen quite a bit since she had been climbing. thinking that it is irrelevant, she racked her brains for what to do, thinking up and dismissing numerous strategies before falling back and groaning in frustration. Wracking her brain she thought back for anything that could help her.

"Master Darius did say that patience was an important job as being a jedi."

Getting to her knees, she sat back, closing her eyes and meditating upon the force.

She stayed in the exact same position for what felt like hours, thinking upon all she had learned since she had come to the Jedi temple and how far she had her brother had come since their time on Corellia. She had loved every moment of it and reflected on all the decisions that had lead up to it, the good and the bad, and smiled knowing that she wouldn't have changed any of them, just in case it lead to her not being here today.

Opening her eyes, Briana's grin grew even wider as she saw the water level. The water had risen to almost the top of the hole and Briana quickly went over to the edge, looking down at the crystal that lay on top of the ice. Reaching out she brushed her hand through the water accidentally, pulling it back as she felt very cold, before trying again, this time making sure not to touch the water. Grabbing hold of the crystal she placed it in her pocket before running back the way she had come, towards the entrance.

 **Zuno**

Zuno slowly made his way down the passageway, inspecting the walls carefully as he went. He smiled as he imagined his sister simply running around like a headless chicken looking wherever she wanted to for her crystal rather than looking carefully.

Moving further down the passageway, Zuno ran his hand over the smooth surface of the ice, reaching out to sense if he could find anything that was out of the ordinary, a blip in the ice, a tinge in his brain as he pushed the force deep into the wall, anything. He tried everything he could, everything he had learned about using the force to sense something and yet he still felt nothing.

He than took his hand off the wall and pulled his coat around himself before heading off deeper into the cave, Stopping to check the surrounding area with the force, before moving further in after finding nothing once again.

Not giving up, Zuno moved forward, reaching a dead end and placing his hand on the wall, pushing his mind deep into the fabric of the wall, feeling for anything. Finding nothing, he pushed deeper into the wall, trying harder than ever before to try and find something, anything even if it was just a direction towards where his crystal was but once again, he came up blank.

Sighing, he removed his hand from the wall before looking around. Everything looked the same, the ice walls blending into the ice-covered floor and stretching up to the frozen roof. Nothing was standing out and nothing he was doing was making anything any clearer. Everything that Master Darius had taught him, everything he knew about the force which was supposed to help him, had failed him. Nothing was working and he was crack out of ideas, not able to think of anything that he hadn't already done.

For the first time in his life, he was thinking of his sister. She could always figure out what to do in a situation and then she would do it even if it went against everything that she should have done in the situation. Knowing her, she had probably already figured out where her crystal was, how to get at it and was probably already waiting for the rest of them outside the cave.

Giving his surroundings one more look over, Zuno turned back to face the dead end, trying again to find something in the wall but coming up blank. Stopping for a moment he visualised his sister, trying to figure out what she would do in a situation like this. Briana most likely would probably just run through the caves, hoping to find it rather than searching for it, she had probably then found it.

Closing his eyes, Zuno tried to think about what he should do in this situation not what he was told to do but what he actually thought he should do. He thought deeply, trying in vain to think about the situation in a non-logical way, but finding no answers. Growling he placed his hand back on the wall and channelled the force through it.

Instantly, the wall fractured, cracking from floor to ceiling before collapsing at Zuno's feet, revealing a large cave, dotted with massive crystals.

Zuno smiled in amazement, walking around the room and looking at the different crystals before one finally caught his eye.

It was big and instantly he knew that it was the crystal for him but also that it was way out of his reach, being over the other side of an ice canyon that was slowly being filled up with water from a small waterfall.

His first instinct was to focus on what he knew and on what the Jedi had taught him and use patience. The hole would fill up and freeze over and he would be able to walk across and get his crystal. But would he have enough time to then get out before the ice wall froze over again? He also knew that the distance was too great for him to simply grab the crystal with the force so that lesson was also out.

Deciding that he had got this far by emulating his sister, he closed his eyes and once again thought about what Briana would do in this situation. Knowing her as well as he did it was not difficult to think what she would do and Zuno opened his eyes looking around the room for anything that might help. Smiling, he caught sight of exactly what he needed and walked over to a large pillar of ice.

Placing his hands on the base of the pillar, Zuno channelled the force into the frozen substance, pouring it into the structure for almost a full minute before finally the pillar began to wobble. Stepping back, Zuno tapped the pillar lightly with a single finger and slowly the pillar toppled forward. With a loud crash it slammed into the water, bridging the gap and landing nearly directly underneath where his crystal was at.

Smiling to himself, Zubi stepped onto the pillar before making his way across, arms outstretched for balance. Quickly crossing the gap he reached the wall and used it to steady himself. The crystal was still out of his reach, but with the reduced distance from being on the pillar, Zuno knew what he could do now and quickly extended his hand towards it.

Instantly, the crystal shifted in the wall, coming loose, before going inro the palm of Zuno. He looked at his hand for a moment before grinning widely. Switching the crystal to his other hand he quickly unbuttoned a pocket, slipping the precious sliver inside before buttoning it back up. Grinning widely he set off back across the pillar before running back towards the entrance to the cave.

 **Spike**

Spike quickly made his way down one of the passages, before darting down another side passage. He didn't know what he was looking for, neither did he have a particular strategy but if there was one thing the dragon knew it was the fact he would only know where his crystal was by getting close to it so going slow was not going to help him. He was sure that not all of the others would share his philosophy, Zuno in particular but that didn't matter to him, this was his quest and only he could decide how best to complete the challenges that lay ahead.

Skidding to a halt, Spike saw a large room ahead of him and slowly walked inside, checking the corners of the room for any sort of movement. Finding none he nodded to himself before walking around the room checking the walls to make sure that nothing was hidden within them. Rounding a corner he gasped as he saw what was in front of him.

Rising up from the ground was a huge pillar of ice, reaching half way up the room before flattening out. Above that a stalactite hung down from the ceiling, stopping just above the first pillar and in between the two huge chunks of ice, hovering in place, stood a small, glinting crystal. Instantly, Spike knew that it was the crystal for him. Looking around the room Spike searched for anyway to get to the crystal without risking his neck in a fifty meter climb. Realizing that short of climbing higher up one of the equally dangerous walls and jumping towards the pillar in the hope of being accurate enough to hit the pillar that was his only choice.

Thinking to himself as he remembered his first adventure in the Crystal Empire, Spike extended his claws, and walked over to the pillar. As he rose his hand to dig his claws into the frozen substance, he was suddenly aware of another presence in the room and whirled around expecting to see one of the other initiates.

Instead, what he saw surprised him.

"Twilight?!" He asked in confusing and happiness

"I'm here Spike." She said. "Where did you go?"

"I… I don't know." Spike bumbled, not knowing what to say. What could he say after this length of time? "I'm so sorry."

"No I'm sorry Spike." She sobbed. "I'm so sorry. I failed you."

"You didn't fail. You didn't." Spike said. "Look at me now. I'm so different now, better than I was before."

"So what now?" Twilight smiled, breaking off from the hug.

"If I get that crystal up there," Spike said, choking back his tears and pointing towards the pillar of ice behind him, "then I'm a Jedi padawan.

"Do you want to be a Jedi?" Twilight asked.

"I..." He said while he couldn't find the words.

"Is that a yes or a no." She said.

"I have friends here, Brandon, Asha, Briana, and Zuno." Spike said slowly. "So... yeah I guess."

"Then let's go." Twilight said. "We get that crystal and you become a Jedi."

"You mean you'd help me?" Spike asked.

"Oh course I would." Twilight said before walking over to the pillar.

Smiling, Spike grabbed onto the pillar, digging his claws in and gesturing for Twilight to garb on to his back. Nodding she wrapped her hooves around him and slowly, Spike began to climb up the pillar, slowly pulling both himself and the purple mare up the ice tower, Twilight whispering words of encouragement into his ear all the time.

Digging his claws into the ice before hauling himself up another few inches. Hand over hand he worked, struggling with every move he made and all the while receiving encouragement from Twilight.

"You can do it Spike." She said.

Spike finally managed to get near to the top of the pillar. Reaching up, Spike stretched out towards the crystal, trying to push his arm up as far as it could go. His other claw dug deep into the ice, keeping the pair steady. In the end, it was only a matter of time.

As he stretched out, the ice fractured and second, Spike was weightless as his claw tried to grab onto something. Slipping down, Spike looking around to see Twilight falling in slow motion. Giving up on the crystal instantly, Spike smashed his free claw into a solid piece of ice before reaching out with his other claw, grabbing hold of one of Twilights legs. As he did, he watched as a crack form on the ice and starting to collapse the tower above it. It would only be a few minutes before everything was buried in ice.

He roared in pain as he suddenly took up the weight of Twilight, his head slamming back into the ice and momentarily dazing him.

"Twilight!" He yelled, but the mare looked dazed herself, her horn sparking but failing to ignite properly.

"Spike?" She said, her eyes focusing on the Spike.

"Just hold on!" He screamed, trying to pull her up slightly but instead, slipping down slightly further.

"I wasn't planning on letting go." She said with a smile.

"Can you use magic?" Spike shouted.

"No." She said, shaking her head and trying to light her horn again but failing as she had before. "Are you ok?"

"I can't hold on much longer." Spike grunted, his muscles starting to hurt as he struggled to stay attached to Twilight and the ice pillar.

"Let go." She said, so softly that if Spike hadn't seen her lips move, he would never had known she said anything.

"Tell me you didn't say what I thought you said." Spike said.

"You want this? You want your own life, a new one, you have to let go of the old one." Twilight said softly. "You can't get the crystal and hold onto me."

Deep down, Spike knew that on a level, Twilight was right but he refused to accept it. He wasn't the same dragon as before and he wouldn't just give up.

"I am not letting you fall!" He shouted, struggling to raise her up even slightly.

"You know you can't do both!" Twilight shouted. "You have to choose!"

"I will not choose!" Spike yelled out.

"Then you'll lose both!" Twilight screamed.

"No!" Spike screamed.

Continuing to scream, Spike looked down at Twilight, and with the last of his energy he used the force to pick her up.

Twilight looked at Spike as he turned back to the wall, digging his second hand into the ice and quickly climbing again making sure to keep Twilight near him. Without the added weight on his back, Spike quickly went up the last few meters of the pillar, snatching the crystal just as the pillar finally began to collapse.

Achieving his goal, Spike pushed himself from the collapsing tower, diving towards one of the walls. It was a long jump and if he hadn't been so high up to begin with, he would have hit the floor long before he hit the wall. As it was, he managed to dig a claw into the wall, sliding down until he gently touched the floor, lowering Twilight to the ground beside him.

"That was…" Twilight began, but Spike interrupted her.

"No more." He said sadly, shaking his head. "You're not her."

"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked.

"You're not… you can't be. She can't be here." Spike said, tears forming in her eyes. "You were part of the test, the cave, whatever."

"You were supposed to drop me." Twilight said as her body starting to evaporate as the illusion slowly faded.. "When did you realize?"

"Twilight would have thought of some way to save both herself and let get the crystal, she always does, that's what makes her amazing." Spike said with a smile, even as the tears fell to the floor.

"Like I said, you weren't supposed to be able to do both." She said. "You were supposed to give up on one life and choose the other one in its entirety, yet you did both."

"So what are you really?" Spike asked.

"I'm part of the cave, part of the test. I'm not even real." She said as half of her body disappeared.

"So you're not even here?" Spike asked. "Nothing is?"

"Don't worry... you will still have somebody" Twilight said before finally, disappearing completely.

And like that Spike was alone again, nothing but the small sound of the last bits of ice falling to the floor. Knowing deep down that this was always going to be the only logical explanation, Spike placed the crystal in a pouch on his belt before running towards the entrance.

Quickly reaching it, Spike saw that the door was almost closed, perhaps having only ten meters left to go, before it touched the bottom and sealed the cave for another nineteen days.

Going underneath the door, Spike caught sight of Asha, Briana and Zuno, all standing around. As they saw him, they quickly gathered around him.

"Did you do it?" Asha asked excitedly, holding out her crystal so he could see.

"Yeah, let's have a look." Zuno nodded.

"Where's Brandon?" Spike asked, looking around but not finding him.

"He hasn't come out yet, he's the last one." Asha said, holding her own crystal in awe.

"Wha-" Spike couldn't finish what he was saying as he saw Brandon looking slightly injured but fine. He also had his crystal."

"What happened?" Spike asked him.

"I prefer not to tell." Brandon replied back.

"We should get going" Asha said.

"Agreed." Everyone said in unison.

Everyone started to run toward the entrance, nearly frozen.

"We will make it." Spike said.

With the last of there energy they made it through.

"We... did it" Brandon said.

"You have all succeeded. It is time we go back to the ship and you all will construct you're very own lightsabers." Daga said.

"Guess I'm..." Spike almost said before falling to the ground completely exhausted.

"It seems as if you have completely exhausted you're energy Spike." Daga said before picking Spike up and taking him back to the ship with the rest of the initiates.

 **Longest Chapter to date and sorry that I couldn't finish this on Friday but hopefully the length of the chapter will make up for it. I didn't reveal what happened to Brandon because it's going to be explained in a future chapter... it's also quite important. Will I hope all of you enjoyed it.**


	9. Chapter 9

**From Initiates to Padawans**

Spike groaned as he finally got up from his sleep, slowly opening his eyes.

"Daga!" A voice called out. "I think he's waking up."

As he heard this, he managed to open his eyes fully, getting a better look at his surroundings. He was in the medical bay on the ship, He saw Asha and Jedi Knight Daga beside him.

"You had us worried there Spike." Asha said "How are you feeling."

"Not that great..." Spike groaned while scratching his head. "How long was I out?"

"About ten hours." Daga said. "You still look completely exhausted."

"Yeah... but I'm feeling better." Spike said weakly. "So are we still on Illum?"

"No, we are currently on a ship that his heading back to Coruscant. The others are waiting for you in the main training area, you can visit them when you are able move around." Daga said. "But I recommend you to rest a little bit longer."

"Nope, I'm perfectly capable to move around." Spike said, before getting off the bed than standing up, looking at Asha. "Why are you not with the others?"

"Just felt like being with you also somebody will have to watch over you." Asha said. "Let's go see the others."

"Sounds good to me." Spike said.

Turning around, Asha quickly moving out of the room while Spike followed Asha until they reached another door. As they approached, the door slid open, revealing a small room.

In the center of the room, Zuno, Brandon, Briana was busy mediating, trying to keep themselves occupied for the time being.

"Spike's up." Asha said with a slight grin on her face.

Instantly, the other opened there eyes and looked over to Spike.

"Are you tired Spike?" Brandon asked, turning to Spike.

"I am but I can live with it." Spike said with a smile.

"That's good, it's been quite boring without you." Briana said, looking over at Spike as well.

"I am glad that you are awake Spike." Daga said, walking into the room. "But we have already gotten behind schedule. If you could all please place the crystals that you have on this table, then we can begin."

Quickly, they each got out their crystals, placing them on the table next to Daga.

"Very good. Now I would like you to meet Lightsaber designer and architect, Huyang."

As he said this, he stepped back, indicating a small alcove filled with shelves and drawer while a tall humanoid droid stepped into view.

"Huyang's a droid?" Brandon asked in surprise.

"Is that a problem?" The droid asked, it soft masculine voice echoing around the small room.

"Not really." Brandon said. "It's just..."

"I know, not what you expected." The droid said before turning to Daga.

"They have all passed?"

"All of them." The Jedi smiled.

The droid looked at everyone, until he saw Spike.

"Oh yes, Daga spoken about you." he said, approaching Spike. "You are the dragon that I have heard about. Interesting that you are able to wield the force as the only discovered member of your race."

"I didn't ask for it." Spike chuckled.

"Of course not." Huyang said, before straightening up and walking around. "The Light saber has been the Jedi's weapon of choice, and is a Jedi's only true ally, unique to each Jedi who wields them. But how do they work?" He asked, picking up the crystal that belonged to Briana and inspecting it closely. "The crystal is the heart of your Lightsaber, but right now it is simply a rock. To activate it, one must use the force, pouring their own power into it. I will show you how to do that while Daga leads you in meditations. It is my job that before you leave this ship, you will not only have constructed your own blade, but be able to repeat the process if the need arises."

Giving the crystal back to Briana, the droid indicated that they should all pick up their own crystals which they did. Walking in front of them, Daga sat down and addressed the group.

"Sit. Clear your minds. Focus on the crystal in front of you. The act of empowering your crystal shall take many days. Let the force guide you as you attune it to yourself, making it your own."

Nodding, they sat down on the floor, crossing there legs. Focusing on there crystal, they made it rise to his eye level before holding it steady and closing there eyes, emptying there head of all images apart from the crystal. Even the sounds of the ship drifted away, as they slowly entered into the trance like meditation stance. The last thing they felt before slipping inside there own mind was that there bodies lifting just a few feet off the floor before all of there senses became numb to the outside world.

Spike found himself in a perfectly black area, neither standing nor floating, rather, he simply was, a part of his own self-conscious. In front of him, the semi-transparent crystal floated, and he focused his force on it, steadying it as he pushed his force into it.

Thinking about his past life, trying to gain strength from his memories.

Being born

Meeting Twilight for the first time

The first time he had ever eaten a fire ruby

Moving to Ponyville

Meeting the residents of the town

Making friends

than the realization of how he lost everything

As he remembered losing his friends, the crystal began to pulse with a faint blue light, getting brighter and brighter, and the pulses getting closer together, until finally the crystal emitted a rich blue glow.

Opening his eyes, Spike stood up, grabbing the crystal out of the air. Around him were the others, not all of them have finished meditating on their crystals, Brandon and Zuno were talking with Daga quietly.

Quickly walking over to them before Daga looked over to Spike.

"You are done then Spike?" Daga asked with a smile.

"I am." Spike nodded, holding out his crystal for the Jedi to see.

"Blue?" Daga asked. "so you are a protector."

"Protector?" Spike asked in confusion.

"You see, The colors represents the users will." Daga explained.

"But can they be changed?" He asked.

"Done!" Briana shouted, before covering her mouth in shock at the loud noise. "Sorry." she whispered.

"It is no trouble." Daga said. "Now we are just waiting on…"

"Finished." Asha called, walking over.

"Good. Now that you have meditated upon your crystals, Huyang will instruct you on the proper design of your Light saber." Daga said, before turning back to the table from before. "Please place your crystals back on the table.

Nodding, each of the initiates placed their crystals on the table once more and Spike saw the each of them now glowed with a soft inner light. Besides his crystal, there were two green crystals belonging to Asha and Briana, Blue belonging to Zuno and Spike, One Purple belonging to Brandon.

Huyang came into sight, slowly walking towards the crystals and inspecting them, his sensors being drawn towards Brandon crystal, which he picked up to inspect more closely.

"Curious." He said, turning the crystal over. "Tell me, which one of you is responsible for this crystal?"

"I am." Brandon blurted out.

"You... how strange." He said, before placing the crystal down. "Now, please hold out your hand, and describe what you see your Lightsaber will be."

"Well, I want it…" Spike began but was cut off by the droid.

"No no, not what you want it to be, but what you feel inside. What connects with your own force and will make you strong in battle, and humble in retreat?"

Concentrating, Spike half-closed his eyes, focusing on what he could feel in his hand. After a moment's concentration, his hand contracted involuntarily, gripping around an invisible object.

"You want a regular lightsaber handle but slightly more unique?" He asked slowly.

"I do." Spike said.

"I see. Let me see what I have then." Huyang said, walking off and heading over to the shelves and drawers at the back of the room.

Grabbing hold of some of the drawers, the droid began to open them, looking inside them while unfolding the two arms on his back and opening other drawers. Quickly, he searched through numerous drawers, before nodding and grabbing a few pieces and walking back over towards Spike. Placing the parts down, Spike saw that he had brought over both a normal handle and a throttle style activator, as well as various innards of the Lightsaber.

"These are all the parts that you should need for your saber." Huyang said, before the droid moved away from Spike, walking over to Asha and beginning to repeat the process. Scooping up the parts, Spike moved over to a work station, placing the parts down and looking over them. From what he could feel, his Lightsaber was going to be normal but yet unique.

Sitting down, Spike crossed his legs again, focusing on the parts and raising them up. Slowly, they began to circle around each other as the crystal moved into the middle of the swirling mass of parts, quickly slotting in to the primary crystal mount. After that, the other pieces began to slot in to place, slowly covering up the emitter matrix with the outer pommel. It was slow work, but it was work none the less.

Spike breathed fire into the furnace again, standing within the sealed metal room as he continued to heat it up. He had been in there for the past day, trying to remodel the parts of his Lightsaber from the generic into something slightly more unique.

Spike breathed out again, covering the white hot casing of the Lightsaber with flames once more, heating it to temperatures that would be next to impossible with conventional means. The parts that he had been provided by Huyang were good, and he didn't doubt that on their own, they would have made a fine weapon.

Grabbing hold of the soft metal, Spike began to smooth the gap between the primary handle and the main body. He had already welded them together with a blowtorch provided by Huyang, but considering the fact that if it broke he would lose his weapon, he had decided to fuse them in a more permanent state. Now, after hours of in the sweltering heat, Spike was almost finished.

Spike decided that the weapon was as good as he could get it and grabbed hold of it, making sure that he didn't squash it at all. Opening the door to the furnace room, Spike quickly slipped out before sealing it up and activating the coolant system in the room before placing the hilt in a trough of water, drawing a nice hissing sound from it as the hot metal touched the cold water.

When Spike finally pulled it out, the hilt was unrecognizable compared to what it had started as when Huyang had provided the parts just a day earlier. Sighing to himself, Spike made his way back towards the central room, flexing his neck to get the kinks that had been building up in it. Reaching the door, Spike slid it open, walking inside and looking around at the others.

They were all working intensely on their own weapons, putting together various parts of their weapons. Spike coughed slightly, causing the others to look around.

"Have you finished remolding your hilt then?" Huyang asked, walking towards the dragon.

"I have." Spike nodded, holding out his hilt for the droid to inspect.

"Interesting. The design is fluid." He said, taking the hilt, before trying to bend it slightly but failing. "And strong. You have done well Spike. Now, finish building you're entire Lightsaber, and show me your work."

Nodding, Spike moved back over to his old workbench, placing the hilt down, and reinserting the crystal into the emitter matrix. Focusing on the other parts, they began to float around each other, before slowly slotting together.

It took another six hours for everyone to complete their weapons to a standard that Huyang was happy with, but eventually they were all finished, and gathered in the center of the room.

Asha's blade, Was like any other blade, quite standard and quite similar to Spikes blade.

Then there was Brandon's weapon, it had a huge hilt and what looked like two light sabers coming out of two separate directions.

Zuno had a regular blade, the only difference was his was slightly heaver and could strike with more force.

Briana had a completely standard blade, like most jedi use.

Spikes was much closer to a standard weapon, but was still unique, both in design and materials. At the advice of Huyang, Spike had constructed his Light saber from two different materials for his hilt, and with his dragon breath they fused perfectly together and a purple and black color for his hilt.

Looking between the initiates, Daga smiled, before drawing his own Lightsaber.

"You embarked on this ship with nothing. Now though, you return with one of the most valuable item in the galaxy, each one unique to you, and you alone. Now, draw your weapons."

At the command, each member of Darius clan drew their own weapons.

"Ignite your blades, and show me that Huyang taught you well."

Nodding, each of the initiates thumbed the activation studs, causing the room to be instantly lit up by the blades. Smiling, Spike looked to Daga, who had activated his own Blue Lightsaber.

"You have spent and trained as initiates." Daga said with a smile. "Now you are Padawans of the jedi order."

 **Sorry for the wait, I still hope everybody enjoyed this chapter and thanks for the reviews lately. Next few chapters will by the climax for the first arc so hopefully you don't miss it.**


	10. Chapter 10

**The Apprentice Tournament**

Spike smiled as he brought his Lightsaber smashing down on the practice droid, clashing with its weapon and with enough strength, forced it to it's knees. Without hesitation, Spike lifted up his weapon and swirled around, using both hands with enough speed he cut the droids head off.

taking a deep breath, Spike looked around the practice room, four droids lying on the ground. Glancing up, he saw the others watching him from a balcony. Nodding to them, Spike deactivated his weapon before walking out of the room and going up the stairs.

It has been nearly a week since the members of the Darius clan had completed their Lightsabers and officially been granted the rank of Padawan, but the new rank forced them to train harder than before. Every day was now dedicated to honing their skills for what lay ahead, whether that be in the ways of the force or dueling. In one day, every youngling that had passed to the rank of Padawan would be arriving at the temple for the The Jedi Temple Apprentice Tournament.

Almost every new Padawan dreamed of this day, most thinking of little else from the time they built their Sabers. Spike and the other members of Darius clan had been no different and had been training non stop. This tournament would decide their role in the Jedi for the rest of their lives and everyone wanted to make a good impression. Any Jedi could come and watch the tournament.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Spike pushed the door open and stood next to the others, who were already watching some of the other padawans training.

"Anyone interesting?" Spike asked.

"A few." Brandon replied, looking over at another balcony.

Spike looked over, seeing nearly seven people all of them looked surprisingly young.

"So how did I do?" Spike asked, turning back to his clan mates.

"Nearly Perfect." Asha said, grabbing a datapad. "Your use of the force was quite strong but still not as strong has it could be, it can be exploited, but you did nearly excellent when you used your Lightsaber."

"Nah, his lightsaber skills are good enough to make up for his weakness in force power." Zuno continued. "That's all you really need to win a battle."

"Alright." Spike smiled, nodding slightly. "When is the next member of our clan suppose to train?"

"About four more Padawans from other clans have scheduled rounds before Zuno is registered to go in." Asha said before turning to Zuno. "Lets see how good you can do."

"I'll do fine." Zuno said smiling. "If anything it's to easy."

"Easy? I think you're bluffing." Spike said with a smile.

"What makes you think I'm bluffing?" Zuno said to Spike.

"Let's see." Asha said, placing a finger to her mouth. "You're smile says it all and last time I checked, you try to make yourself look a lot stronger than you actually are."

"But... I'm not bluffing this time." Zuno said, trying to think of something to say.

"Sure you are." Asha smiled.

"Instead of speaking, We should analyze everyone." Brandon suggested.

"You have a point." Zuno said.

"Good idea." Spike said, before studying the Padawan below more closely.

He wanted to know how each one of them fought, what their weaknesses and strengths were, and how he could beat them. His eyes looked around as the Padawans switched over, taking in each swing of their own Lightsabers, any variation in their weapons, and any other details he could use. Spike watched in silence, When the time came to face them, he would be ready.

 **Next day**

The room was filled with Padawans, each hoping to catch the eyes of various individuals during the tournament. Around the main floor was a large amount of seats, within which the Jedi Knights and Masters would be sitting and watching the show, deciding which Padawan, if any, would be suitable for them. Spike quickly caught sight of a few that he knew, and smiled as he saw both Master Darius and Master Amber, currently talking about something.

High above the assembled Padawans, on a small balcony on the far side of the room, Jedi Master Windu stood up and instantly, the room went silent as everyone present focused on the Jedi, eager to hear what he had to say.

"Gathered Jedi. Friends, Padawans, Masters and Knights." He said, his voice echoing out across the room. "Today marks the beginning of another Jedi Temple Apprentice Tournament. Gathered before you are all those who have been deemed worthy of competing today and have completed their trials on Illum, it is my great honour to introduce the clans that will be competing today. Ocray clan.

As he said this, the other lights in the room dimmed, leaving the members of Ocray clan as the lightest part in the room.

"Simon clan!"

Another one of the clans was put into the spotlight.

Windu continued, names of the various clans competing, naming four more of them, before finally reaching the final clan.

"And finally, Darius clan!" He finished.

"Every name you will need to know is on the datapads you were provided with upon entering." Windu said, addressing the Masters and Knights. "As for you Padawans, this will be your final step on the road to apprenticeship. To win, all you must do is defeat you're opponent. But be warned, do not kill you're opponent, that is only rule, the fight continues until one members is without a weapon or every Master or Knight has decreed that the fight is over."

Windu gestured for a few of the overseeing Jedi to move onto the main floor, directing the members of the clans to different parts of the stands, where they were seated to await their turn.

"Each of you will have a max of two fights," he continued, "after that, your skills will determine who goes into the final rounds. Now, the first fight. From clan Simon, I give you Padawan Timmy!"

As he said this, a nervous human male arose from his clan's part of the stands, and made his way down to the center of the hall, before turning to face Jedi Master Windu.

"And his opponent," Windu said, glancing down at his data slate, "Padawan Von from Ocray clan!"

Spike let out a sigh of relief. After watching both of the combatants, Spike was glad he didn't have to face them. At a push he reckoned he could come out as the victor, but he knew that it would be a struggle.

"Begin!" Windu shouted, before sitting down to watch the fight.

Time seemed to stretch on for hours as the other Padawans duelled against each other. Both Asha and Briana had been victorious in their rounds but neither Zuno, Brandon or Spike had been given the chance to show themselves off.

"An excellent showing." Windu said, standing up and clapping as the recently finished combatants bowed and made their way off the arena floor. "Next up, Padawan Quaid of Simon clan."

As he said this, a big human stood up and quickly made his way down the stairs to the center of the hall.

"And his opponent. Padawan Brandon of Darius clan!"

Nodding, Brandon stood up and made his way down the steps, standing next to Quaid and turning to face Master Windu.

"Begin!" Windu shouted, before sitting down to watch the duel.

Quickly, Brandon ignited his Lightsaber, holding it in the middle, and watching as Quaid stood there, showing off a bright blue blade. Standing back, Brandon waited for Quair to make the first move. He didn't have to wait long, as Quaid sprung forward, the padawan bringing his Lightsaber around in a blow aimed at his head.

Quickly, Brandon moved his own Lightsaber to intercept the blow, before physically pushing Quaid, using his own momentum to send him stumbling behind Brandon, not giving him a chance he used the force, sending him flying a few feet away before jumping after him, and bringing his Lightsaber down on his back.

"Stop." Windu said.

"Alright." Brandon said, shutting his lightsaber off. "That was a good duel." he finished.

For a moment, Quaid did nothing.

"It was..." He said with slight sadness, before turning on his heels and walking away, returning to his clan.

Shaking his head, Brandon quickly returned to where Darius clan were seated and flopped down into the spare seat.

"Nice." Spike said with a smile.

"Thanks." Brandon said, before leaning forward to watch the next round.

The day progressed slowly once more, as Spike watched the fights with a critical eye. He wanted to know who could be one of the ones to get into the final contest. They had started on the second round, so those who had already fought were going again, and he had already seen Quaid fight his second round, managing to get a win. Still, Spike was anxious to get out there again. Zuno, Asha and Brandon had already had their second fight but both Briana and Spike had still got theirs to go. As the number of potential opponents fell, Spike was getting more and more concerned about who he would fighting.

"Another excellent showing." Windu said, looking down at his roster once more. "Next up, two members of Nexu clan, Padawans Briana and Spike."

Groaning, Spike looked over at Briana as she quickly made her way down to the center of the room and ignited her own Lightsaber, holding it in a high guard position. Quickly following her lead, Spike ignited his own blade, and at a command from Windu lunged forward, his blade pointing straight at Briana.

Parrying Spikes thrust, Briana spun on her heel, attempting to bring her blade down on Spikes back. Barely managing to avoid it, Spike spun his Lightsaber around to reverse where the blade was pointing and caught her slash, easily holding up her blade. Again and again she slashed down on Spike, using her speed to keep the dragon on the defensive, not giving him a chance to attack.

Growling, Spike dropped his stance, sliding backwards slightly and overbalancing Briana just a fraction. Quickly, he spun around, bringing his tail whipping towards her legs, and snatching them out from beneath her. Following up, Spike brought his Lightsaber down towards her.

"Stop." Windu said simply, and Spike looked down to see Briana slightly mad.

"Why did you use you're tail?" She said.

"I can use any of my body parts can't I?" He said.

"I guess, if this was a real battle I would of died so you won. Briana said with a smile, before walking back towards the Darius clan seating area.

"Padawans, Knights, Masters." Windu said, addressing the crowd. "The time has come to watch the final round. After this, you will be allowed to select your Padawan, if any have caught your eye. But until then, allow me to announce the final round. From Darius clan, Brandon!"

Brandon quickly made his way down to the arena.

"And his opponent, from the same clan, Spike!"

For a moment, Spike froze, unsure of what he had just heard. When he had been watching the other Padawans train, he had made notes on how he could overcome their various strengths by playing against their weaknesses, but Brandon made this a lot harder. He hadn't really looked at Brandon in any serious way, but he knew that out of everyone taking part in the tournament, Brandon was the only one who could match him in strength, and his light saber was very unique, he never fought someone with that type of blade.

Making his way down towards the arena for the third and final time, Spike took up his position and looked towards Windu for instructions. He did not have to wait long.

"We shall see what the two of you are made of, begin."

Growling, Spike ignited his Lightsaber, holding it in a normal grip for now, while Brandon ignited his own, holding his hands in the middle. As they both began to circle each other, Spike began to form a rough plan in his mind.

He knew that Brandon wasn't exactly use to that type of weapon, perhaps he could use that to his advantage.

Spike never got any further with his planning, as Brandon lunged forward, slashing towards. Jumping backwards, Spike avoided the worst of the blow, while blocking with his Lightsaber to protect himself from anything else.

As the two blades clashed, Spike could feel that Brandon was not going easy, it's quite amazing how he adapted to his blade so fast.

Brandon, shut off his lightsaber instantly and dodged Spikes slash, With his left hand he forced pushed Spike across the ground, Without hesitation Spike got back up as Brandon ran at him.

Thrusting his claw forward, Spike shot a burst of telekinesis at Brandon, forming a ball of air that impacted on his chest. Brandon was not stopped completely by this attack, but it did slow him down just enough for Spike to roll to the side and get back into a stable stance.

Bringing his weapon up, Spike attempted to slash Brandon across the head but before he could Brandon countered the attack.

Spike was forced to dodge, He ducked the blow and threw his lightsaber at Brandon.

Brandon, jumped up, dodged Spikes blade.

"Not so fast..." Spike leaping up into the air, grabbing his own blade. while both Brandon and Spike fell down to the ground.

"Let's end this Spike." Brandon said while running at Spike.

A smile appeared over Spikes face as Brandon slashed his blade at him. "Got you..." Spike finished as he used the force with his left hand to stop Brandons incoming attack, With his right hand he sliced his lightsaber at brandons stomach but coming to a halt.

"The round is over." Windu said, standing up and clapping slowly. "Gathered Jedi, I give you the victor of this year's Apprentice Tournament, Spike the dragon of Darius clan!"

Panting hard, Spike looked up at Windu, taking his eyes off Brandon for a second before looking back at Brandon.

"Wow that was hard, if this battle lasted any longer I would have lost."

"Maybe... but this was certainly a fun duel even if I lost." Brandon replied.

Both Spike and Brandon made their way back towards the seats to await the announcements of who had been chosen as an Apprentice for a master or a Knight.

The minutes ticked by as every one of the Padawans waited with bated breath, eager to find out what their role in the Jedi would be from this day forward. Every one of them wanted to be taken as an Apprentice, they didn't even want to think about what happened if you weren't.

After what felt like forever, Windu stood back up.

"Padawans! Today you have shown us who you truly are. We have compiled the final list of what your role within the order shall be after today. Now, please, make your way to the center of the hall."

Quickly, the Padawans moved back to the arena floor, jostling to get a better position.

"When I call your name and position, please make your way out of the hall. You will be met by the respective members of the order. You are to receive further instruction from them."

Reaching down, Windu grabbed a datapad, and began to read off it.

"Padawan Quaid, Ocray clan." He called, "Master Iran has chosen you as his apprentice."

The announcements dragged on, and Spike watched as first Zuno was chosen by Master Amber, then Briana, and finally Asha, although she was chosen by a Knight. Soon, it was just Brandon and Spike left on the arena floor once more.

"Padawan Brandon, Jedi Knight Daga has decided to train you."

Brandon looked up at his master, before moving over to the door to meet his new Master.

"Finally, Padawan Spike, also of Darius clan. Master Luminous has decided to take you as his apprentice."

Nodding, Spike quickly hurried out of the room, eager to meet his new master.

"Padawan." A voice called out, and Spike turned to see a tall male human walking towards him.

"Master." Spike said, bowing deeply.

"You know who I am then?" He asked.

"I think you are Master Luminous." Spike replied.

"I am. And you are Padawan Spike, formerly of initiate clan Darius. We shall get to know each other very well."

As he said that, he stuck out his hand, and Spike grabbed it.

"I hope that you live up to the expectations that you showed in the arena." He said, shaking Spikes hand.

"I will, Master." Spike nodded happily.

 **And that Ends the first arc of the story, I hope you all enjoyed it. I was planning on making this a two part since I wanted to do a few more duels and include a few more things, but I just decided not to. Anyways don't expect to see anymore chapters for awhile since the second arc will take awhile to think of.**


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